The Diocese of Essen has become the first in Germany to allow women to perform baptisms, citing a lack of priests.
The diocese said in a statement Monday that Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck tasked 18 lay ministers – 17 of them women – with conferring the sacrament of admission into the Church at a ceremony over the weekend.
Until now only priests and deacons – roles the Catholic Church reserves for men – were allowed to perform baptisms.
“Time and again, the Church has reacted to external circum-stances over the past 2,000 years,” said Theresa Kohlmeyer, who heads the diocese’s department of belief, liturgy and culture. The measure is temporary and will initially last for three years.