Vatican Rejects German Bishops’ Request To Allow Laypeople To Deliver Sermons At Mass

The Vatican has rejected a request from German bishops to allow laypeople to deliver sermons during Catholic Mass, reaffirming that only ordained priests or deacons may give a homily during the celebration of the Eucharist, central act of Christian worship  .

In a letter dated June 17, 2026, addressed to the President of the German Bishops' Conference, Bishop Heiner Wilmer, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said it is not possible to grant the indult requested on March 30.  

The German bishops had sought "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."

Explaining its position, the Vatican described an indult as a special, and often temporary, favour granted to a physical or moral person by the Apostolic See or the local ordinary which confers faculties contrary to or beyond the prescriptions of the law.

While acknowledging the pastoral concerns raised, the Dicastery said the request could not be granted and reiterated 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.”

According to Reuters, the German proposal reflects views expressed by bishops in the United States and parts of Europe, who argue that many laypeople are equally capable of preaching and have pointed to growing calls for women’s voices to be included in sermons.

The decision also comes amid wider debate within the Catholic Church over women’s roles in ministry. A high-level Vatican commission recently voted 7–1 against allowing Catholic women to serve as deacons, maintaining the Church’s longstanding practice of an all-male clergy.

The commission said historical research and theological investigation "excludes the possibility" of allowing women to serve as deacons at this time, while recommending further study of the issue.