In a letter dated 17 June 2026 addressed to the President of the German Bishops' Conference, Bishop Dr Heiner Wilmer SCJ, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has communicated that it is not possible to grant the indult requested on 30 March 2026 to permit, in exceptional circumstances, a duly commissioned lay member of the faithful to preach in place of the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist. While expressing appreciation for the pastoral concerns that inspired the request, the Dicastery reaffirms that the current discipline cannot be dispensed from by means of an indult, since 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 forms an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word, is intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel, and constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the Sacrament of H...
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