Abstract

The article explains what the amendment made to canon 230 § 1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law by Pope Francis under the motu proprio Spiritus Domini consists of. As a result of this amendment, women have been allowed to take up the permanent ministry of a lector and acolyte in the Roman Catholic Church. In his study, the author begins by showing the essence of the reform of the minor orders by Pope Paul VI with the issuance of the apostolic letter motu proprio Ministeria guaedam of August 15, 1972. He then discusses the historical, theological and pastoral criteria behind the change introduced in the code legislation regarding the implementation of the liturgical ministry of the lectorate and acolyte. Pope Francis, through the motu proprio Spiritus Domini, brings to maturity the process of reform begun in 1972 by Paul VI and makes an important systematization on the level of terminology and more visibly highlights the lay nature of the ministries based on baptism and confirmation, intended for ecclesial service.