This decision follows in the footsteps of the Diocese of Essen, which in March allowed non-ordained theologians to conduct baptisms.

Bishop Gebhard Fuerst officially commissioned these theologians at a ceremony held at Rottenburg Cathedral on Wednesday evening. The event marked a historic step toward contemporary pastoral care.

Regina Seneca, one of the theologians, emphasised the significance of this move. She stated that it aligns with the evolving needs of pastoral care in the present day.

Bishop Fürst says the diocese complies with canon law and is also following an instruction the Vatican issued in 2020 on the pastoral conversion of parishes. That document states that a lack of priests is a justification for authorising lay people to preside at baptisms.

The diocese also refers to the recommendations from Germany's Synodal Path, a body that is mapping out Church reforms and the search for "gender justice".

"The bishop's motivation is to do everything to promote gender justice in the Church" said Fürst's auxiliary, Bishop Matthäus Karrer.

Karrer said this reform would certainly not have happened without "pressure from the base" and a women's forum formed within the diocesan council.

Other dioceses, including Aachen, are considering similar moves towards laypeople filling traditional church roles.

Priests will rarely baptise

Nonetheless, these advances are creating debate among theologians.

For example, Austrian priest Joachim Heimerl, who is very critical of Germany's Synodal Path, said such reforms are part of "a politicisation and secularisation of the Church", not a way "to ensure the administration of the sacraments.

"This means that priests and deacons will hardly ever baptise again" Heimerl claimed.

"Baptism by a lay person - previously allowed only in emergencies - will become the norm. The laity will seize it and defend it against the clergy" he predicted.

Approximately 10,000 children are baptised each year in the Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese. The initiative reflects a broader one within the German Synodal Path.

The inclusion of Catholic lay theologians in liturgical functions is a response to the call to address clericalism, perceived by some as a contributing factor to instances of sexual abuse within the Church.

Sources

America Magazine

La Croix International

CathNews New Zealand

In Germany's industrial Ruhr area, the Diocese of Essen is the first diocese in the country to appoint a group of women to administer the sacrament, reported CAN Deutsch.

Church law stipulates that only an ordained minister—a priest or deacon—is the ordinary minister for Baptism. However, the bishop can authorise another person to perform the ceremony if a priest is not available and, in an emergency, anyone can baptise.

Theresa Kohlmeyer, head of the department of faith, liturgy, and culture in the diocese, said that the step was necessary because there were "fewer priests than in the past.

"Time and again, the Church has reacted to external circumstances over the past 2,000 years," added Kohlmeyer.

Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen explained that the decision to commission lay people — 17 women and one man — is a temporary measure and will initially last for three years.

Overbeck said the action allowing women to perform baptisms was a response to "a pastorally difficult situation."

Canon 861 of the Code of Canon Law says that "the ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, a presbyter, or a deacon."

It adds that "when an ordinary minister is absent or impeded, a catechist or another person designated for this function by the local ordinary, or in a case of necessity any person with the right intention, confers baptism licitly."

Bishop Gebhard Fürst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart announced in March 2021 that he would look into the possibility of baptism by lay pastoral workers, establishing a working group.

More than 2.5 million people live in the Essen diocese, 724,047 of whom are Catholic. It is the smallest diocese in Germany in terms of area.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

AP News