The Vatican has reaffirmed that only ordained priests and deacons may deliver the homily during the celebration of Mass, rejecting a request from Germany’s bishops to allow qualified laypeople to preach in exceptional circumstances.
In a June 17 letter to the President of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Heiner Wilmer, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments declined a request seeking permission for “a duly commissioned lay member of the faithful to preach in place of the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist,” according to Vatican News.
The decision addresses a proposal submitted by the German bishops on March 30, 2026, which sought an indult — a special permission that would allow an exception to existing Church law.
While expressing appreciation for the pastoral concerns behind the request, the Vatican concluded that such an exception could not be granted.
“The current discipline cannot be dispensed from,” the Dicastery stated, according to Reuters.
The Vatican emphasized that the restriction is not simply a matter of Church policy that can be changed at will. According to Vatican News, the Dicastery explained that “the reservation of the homily to a priest or deacon is not a merely disciplinary norm but derives from the very nature of the liturgy.”
The homily occupies a unique place within the Mass. The Dicastery noted that it is “an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word” and is closely connected to the proclamation of the Gospel. According to Vatican News, the Vatican further explained that the homily “constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.”
The letter stressed that the proclamation of God’s Word during Mass cannot be separated from the sacramental ministry entrusted to ordained clergy. According to Vatican News, the Dicastery said that the proclamation of the Word within the liturgy is inseparable from the mission received through Holy Orders and from the unity between Word and Sacrament in the Eucharistic celebration.
Reuters reported that some bishops in Germany, the United States, and other parts of Europe have argued that many laypeople are capable of preaching and have expressed interest in hearing more reflections from women, who cannot be ordained in the Catholic Church.
However, the Vatican reiterated that the Church’s teaching on the homily is rooted in the role of ordained ministry. Reuters noted that the Church teaches that during Mass a priest acts “in persona Christi” — in the person of Christ — and that God works through the priest in the liturgical celebration.
The Dicastery also encouraged continued formation of priests and deacons so that homilies may more effectively nourish the faithful spiritually and pastorally.
At the same time, the Vatican reminded bishops that Church law already permits numerous opportunities for laypeople to proclaim the Gospel and offer reflections outside the homily and outside the celebration of the Eucharist. According to Vatican News, these forms of preaching remain available “in accordance with canon law and the proper nature of these different forms of proclaiming the Gospel.”
The decision serves as a clear reaffirmation of longstanding Catholic teaching regarding the relationship between Holy Orders, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the celebration of the Eucharist.
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