Pope Francis approves women for ministries of ‘lector’ and ‘acolyte.’ What does that mean?

A Pillar Explainer

A woman reads Scripture Jan 8, 2021, during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Credit: National Shrine/YouTube

On Monday, Pope Francis made a new change to canon law, one that will permit women to be admitted to the Church’s formal ministries of lector and acolyte. Here’s a look at what that means, and what it doe…