Vatican denies German bishops’ bid for lay-led homilies

The Vatican’s liturgy office rejected the German bishops’ March request for an indult to allow laypeople to deliver the homily in exceptional circumstances, saying the homily is reserved for ordained ministers as a matter of the liturgy’s nature. It notes multiple ways for lay proclamation outside liturgy and urges ongoing priest formation on preaching, reflecting a broader pattern of Vatican responses to German bishops in recent months.