German bishops to ask Rome to permit lay homilies

Bishop Heiner Wilmer will also seek Vatican approval for the synodal conference’s statutes

The German bishops will formally ask the Vatican to permit lay preaching at Masses, new conference chairman Bishop Heiner Wilmer announced Thursday.

Bishop Heiner Wilmer opens a session of the German bishops’ spring plenary assembly on Feb. 26, 2026, in Würzburg. Credit: Deutsche Bischofskonferenz / Marko Orlovic.

According to Church law, homilies at Mass…