Female servers for the Pope

Freiburg im Bresgau, 8.26.11 (KIPA) The Vatican has given a green light for female altar servers for the papal visit to Freiburg (Germany). Nine female and eight male servers from the Freiburg Archdiocese will minister at the youth prayer and the closing liturgy on September 24-25, the diocese announced on Friday. It is customary that no female serves are used at papal liturgies in the Vatican. By contrast, there were female servers at the liturgies for Benedict XVI’s visit to Bavaria in 2006.

Source: KIPA.

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20 responses to “Female servers for the Pope”

  1. Bill Hobbs

    How ironic! Good enough for the Pope but not for the Phoenix Cathedral. We truly are a wacky, wonderful church…

    Reply
  2. Carl Opat

    Hope Phoenix is listening!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  3. Paul Boman

    Hi Bill, right you are. Although if we look for consistency in these sorts of issues we’ll drive ourselves nuts.

    Reply
  4. Linda Grant

    Not that I would ever try to psychoanalyze the Vatican….but could this be a ‘silent’ commentary on what the Phoenix cathedral has chosen to do?

    Reply
  5. Fr. Allan J. McDonald

    Glad this is posted here and hope we’ll all look to Rome in matters of faith, morals and liturgy, even the allowance of the EF, although the pope himself has not publicly celebrated it as pope.

    Reply
  6. Sandi Brough

    Maybe one day we’ll be debating whether male servers are good enough to stand in the presence of a female pope . . . 😉

    Reply
    1. Gerard Flynn

      Perhaps Phoenix isn’t the best bird-name for the diocese. I can think of a few others: Cuckoo?

      Reply
      1. Karl Liam Saur

        Peacock.

    2. Jeffrey Herbert

      I understand that there was just such a controversy at our local Womynpriest church… I believe the decision was that all servers would be female, though to be fair, nearly all of the participants are female anyway.

      Reply
      1. Brigid Rauch

        Friend – beware lest the Christ one day ask you to explain this posting to his Mother and his friend Mary, Martha and Mary Magdalene. Womynpriest, indeed!

      2. Jeffrey Herbert

        Brigid;

        We actually have a local womynpriest’s church. Her term, not mine. They (church committee?) decided that all servers would be female. I would have no problem explaining this to my Lord and Savior, although I would not presume to know his view. As you seem to be on a first name basis with them, perhaps you could ask them their view on this.

  7. P. Francisco Pereira

    In the Papal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Portugal, last year, there was no problem in female altar server in the celebrations in Fatima.

    Reply
  8. crystal watson

    Ostrich.

    Reply
  9. Linda Grant

    Dodo.

    Reply
    1. Sandi Brough

      Not yet, but soon and ever sooner!!

      Reply
  10. Jeffrey Herbert

    The issue of female servers at a Papal Mass in a country he is visiting and that of a Bishop restricting female servers in his own Diocese are two different issues. If the Pope were to visit and say Mass at a Church in the Diocese of Phoenix, do you imagine that he would insist on having female servers?

    I would seriously doubt it.

    When in Rome, do as the Romans do and have no female servers. When in Germany, do as the Germans do.

    Reply
    1. Gerard Flynn

      “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

      A marvellous proposal which encourages enculturation and recognises the need for diversity.

      The problem is that the Romans want everyone to do as the Romans do, whether they are in Tipperary, Toowoomba or Tennessee.

      And before you lose the run of yourself again, it’s the cathedral rector who has blocked women and girls from serving there. There are other more enlightened clergy in that diocese who will have no part in such misogyny and discrimination.

      Your attempt to defend the indefensible is risible.

      Reply
  11. Magy Stelling

    @Jeffrey, Then why is the Church of Rome trying to make the Church in the United States of America a Roman Church. Why is all discussions of important issued silenced by Rome. How would you like to be told you may not write your opinions (just stated above) just because the editors of this page does not agree with them!!! The reason why the Germans have won this issue is because they are leaving the church by the thousands. The Germans pay a church tax and the count is accurate because they have removed their names from the official tax role. Why are good and decent bishops removed from office and those who have covered up abused by clergy promoted to bishops and archbishops? Why did Rome officially ask the judiciary of the United States not to prosecute bishops and priest under our civil laws and let Rome handle it under canon law? This cabled item was just released by wikileak just last Friday.

    church???

    Reply
  12. Peter Jones

    Mgr Marini had no problem whatsoever with female servers for the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. He simply said ‘Yes’. (I attended the planning meeting.)

    Reply
  13. David L Alexander

    The assumption made on occasions like these, is that the Holy Father has personally signed off on every little detail of his visit anywhere in the world. Even a bishop will have his own master of ceremonies to take care of such things for him. The Boss walks in at T minus five, and everything is set. Now, multiply that scenario by about a dozen, and you have a Papal visit, including the Mass. As to Marini approving of female servers at a Papal Mass, okay, so you were there, but it’s still hard to believe. At the very least, there is more to the story than that.

    Reply

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