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May 05, 2021 The Pope establishes the "ministry" of the catechist. Like the other official services of the Church, from the presbyterate to the diaconate, from the acolyte to the lectorate, even those called to prepare the sacraments in the parish will carry out an 'official' task. The Apostolic Letter in the form of "Motu proprio" by Pope Francis 'Antiquum ministerium' with which the ministry of catechist is established will be presented to the press on 11 May. 



Until now, according to the code of canon law, it was a simple "task" entrusted by the parish priest to another cleric, to a religious or to a lay man or woman. Pope Francis has already recently introduced a novelty by elevating that of the lectorate (the proclamation of the word of God) and the acolyte (the distribution of the Eucharist) from "minor orders" to "instituted ministries" (other are sacred orders) : "Offering lay people of both sexes the possibility of accessing the ministry of the Acolyte and the Lectorate, by virtue of their participation in the baptismal priesthood, will increase the recognition, also through a liturgical act (institution), of the precious contribution that for some time very many lay people, including women, offer to the life and mission of the Church ",last January he recited the apostolic letter "Spiritus Domini" in the form of a motu proprio.



Now the press office of the Holy See has announced that next Tuesday, May 11, a new motu proprio by Francis will be published, "Antiquum ministerium", "with which the ministry of catechist will be established". The document will be presented by Msgr. Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, and the former German bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, now delegate for Catechesis of the same Vatican dicastery.