"Predicate Gospel"? Lay leadership in the Vatican or motivation for clergy and future women priests in the Roman Catholic Church

The new constitution "Praedicate Gospel", which is intended to regulate the work of the Roman Curia, came into force on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022. It replaces “Pastor Bonus” by Pope Saint John Paul II. This constitution was valid for 34 years. It remains to be seen whether Pope Francis' constitution "Predicate Gospel" will endure for so long. A new pope can revise it or promulgate a new version at any time.

In the run-up to the announcement on March 19, 2022, there was already clear criticism of the new constitution. In particular, the point that lay people, both men and women, can now be appointed to the leadership of all dicasteries except the Congregation for Bishops, aroused criticism from clerics, from lay people who have been employed at the Vatican for decades, and from me. A possible supplement to the new constitution "Predicate Gospel", which only superficially sounds very Protestant, is that at least a completed degree in theology, be it Catholic theology or Protestant theology, should be a prerequisite for being allowed to lead a dicastery in the Vatican.

Representatives of Protestant churches shook their heads in silence. According to my research, no lay people lead a parish in any of the member churches of the EKD. The German “Der Synodale Weg” (The Synodal Path) advocates that lay people should be included in the leadership of the church. This demand goes far beyond Protestant practice, as has been customary since Martin Luther. It is hard to imagine that the Roman Catholic Church has already shrunk itself to the point where there are no clergymen available to lead it.

A negative consequence of "Predicate Gospel" will be that no one will want to study Catholic theology anymore. If an 0815 job with an 8-hour working day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is enough to rise to the top of one of the highest offices of the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, there will hardly be any financial and hierarchical incentives, the now highly controversial ones Wanting to take up the profession of priest or future priestess. Strengthening inner motivation to face the spiritual challenges in late modernity looks different. There must continue to be career advancement opportunities for those who have dedicated their lives to the Church and who have pledged universal obedience to the Church. There is a qualitative difference between clergy and lay people. The latter can move about freely, they go home after work and spend their free time as they wish, they live in families with whom they can talk about all professional events in their private life. The Roman Catholic Church must not go further into the spiritual sidelines. "Predicate Gospel" is a deceptive inscript.

After the election of a new pope or popess, all leadership positions in the Vatican are usually refilled. This would mean that both clergy and lay people, whom Pope Francis appointed to leadership positions in dicasteries as a result of “Predicate Gospel”, would lose their posts again. This is standard procedure. A new pope or popess could very easily insert just a half-sentence in "Predicate Gospel" that lays down the requirement that a completed degree in theology is necessary for the leadership of a dicastery. Then Predicate Gospel would perhaps be valid for the next 34 years. The idea for this supplement came from me, a journalist for nine and a half years, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church for almost 28 years (currently without a mandate), a cardinale in pectore for eleven years and a papabile for nine years.

Pope Francis could have changed the Church forever this week. Had Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at the funeral for the former Cardinal Secretary of State of Pope Saint John Paul II Angelo Cardinal Sodano with me, Cardinale in pectore Elke Göß, the Mass among those present Cardinals and in the presence of the two popes, Pope Francis and Pope em. Benedict XVI celebrated, this official Mass would have marked the beginning of the opening of the priesthood to women in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is just one Mass away from admitting women to the priesthood.

A celebration of Mass with Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re would have the advantage that Pope Francis would not preside over the Mass. He stabbed a young Swiss Guardsman in the heart and killed him in June 2013 and since taking office he has forced or persuaded about eight young nuns to have sex and made them pregnant, some against their will. Pope Francis is not credible when it comes to promoting women to clergy. Only he will know why Pope Francis takes such long and cumbersome paths to integrate women. Pope Francis could have changed the Roman Catholic Church forever this week. Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re could have celebrated Mass with me, Cardinale in pectore Elke Göß, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, and on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022, Pope Francis could have publicly named me and thus officially appointed me Cardinal. In a week, Pope Francis would have presented the first cardinal publicly, opening up the possibility for women to be ordained priests in the Roman Catholic Church after they have studied Catholic theology, of course. The Roman Catholic Church is one mass and one public naming of me as a Cardinal from a woman on the highest governing body of the Roman Catholic Church. This has been the case for eleven and a half years. But Pope Francis is doing nothing and has been for nine years, two months and 18 days.

Pentecost 2022 there could have been a cardinal. This option has existed for eleven and a half years. Being a Cardinale in pectore papabile is the other way a woman can get into the very highest office in the Roman Catholic Church.

Elke Göß

Regensburg, Whit Monday, June 6, 2022