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Synod Proposes Canon Law Reforms to Boost Lay and Women's Roles
Confirmed
In Short: The General Secretariat of the Synod published on Wednesday the final report of the Canonical Commission, which endorses several proposals to amend the Code of Canon Law to give greater weight to lay and women's roles in the Church.
The report, prepared by a study group created after the Synod on Synodality, must now be examined by Pope Leo XIV. Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, coordinated the commission.
The document supports changes to canons concerning the ability of lay faithful to exercise 'offices, roles, and ministries within the Church for which they are qualified and competent, including in the realm of ecclesiastical governance.' The text, originally drafted in Italian and also available in English, is not binding and must now be examined by Pope Leo XIV.
Among the most significant proposals is the revision of several canons to strengthen the synodal dimension of particular councils, diocesan synods, and pastoral councils. The proposal goes beyond expanding the presence of lay faithful and men and women religious.
The report also proposes a greater role for women religious in selecting bishops who oversee consecrated life and clearer agreements between dioceses and religious institutes. It states, 'A clear mechanism for implementing gender equality in the workplace must be developed.
The document proposes publishing new criteria for approving the establishment of institutes of consecrated life and appointing a delegate for consecrated life in every diocese. It also calls for an overhaul of the Vatican questionnaire for ad limina visits.
The final reports of the 10 study groups are defined as 'working documents.' When a group submits its final report to the General Secretariat of the Synod, it has completed its mandate and is dissolved.
The proposals also seek to strengthen the role of bishops' conferences and promote greater decentralization.
The report's members included Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Cardinal Mario Grech, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the synod on synodality’s relator general.
One of the report’s main conclusions is that the Church should move toward broader participation by consecrated men and women in discernment and decision-making processes.
The proposals seek to adapt certain aspects of canon law to the conclusions of the Synod, especially regarding the participation of laypeople in the Church’s mission.
What this adds
Seven of the Synod’s 10 original study groups have now published their final reports.
The proposals also call for an independent ecclesiastical commission to evaluate bishops’ ad limina visits.
What's confirmed
- The General Secretariat of the Synod published on Wednesday the final report of the Canonical Commission, which explicitly endorses several proposals to amend the Code of Canon Law related to the participation of laymen and laywomen in the life and governance of the Church.
- The report, prepared by one of the study groups created after the Synod on Synodality, must now be examined by Pope Leo XIV.
- Specifically, the document supports changes to canons concerning the ability of lay faithful to exercise “offices, roles, and ministries within the Church for which they are qualified and competent, including in the realm of ecclesiastical governance.” The text, originally drafted in Italian and also available in English, is not binding and must now be examined by Pope Leo XIV.
- The commission tasked with studying the reforms was coordinated by Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and included prominent experts in canon law.
What's still developing
- Pius X Faculty of Canon Law in Venice, Italy; and Italian Father Gianluca Merlini, secretary of the commission.
- The text also calls for an overhaul of the Vatican questionnaire, so that it focuses less on statistics, is better tailored to each local Church, and gives more space for bishops to say what they expect from an ad limina visit.
- Synod proposes reforming canon law to give greater weight to laity, women in the Church (By Victorian Cardiel, EWTN News ) Enter the username or e-mail you used in your profile.