Recognizing “the gifts of each baptized person”—women and men—Pope Francis ordered a change to canon law and liturgical norms so that women could be formally installed as lectors and acolytes.

The head of the German bishops’ conference called for far-reaching changes to the Catholic Church and criticized the Vatican’s treatment of the church in his country.

Catholic women theologians said that they were tired of hearing words promoting women in the church without accompanying actions that place women in the clear leadership roles.

The C.D.F. said today: ‘We did everything possible to dialogue with Father Flannery. It wasn’t always easy.’

A Catholic sociologist has said that if women were allowed to participate in governmental affairs in Africa, their input would have an impact on how the pandemic and its associated problems are handled.

These appointments are a further indication of the pope’s determination to give more responsibility to women in the Vatican in positions that do not require ordination.