VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis changed the Code of Canon Law again to allow women to be elected the Bishop of Rome.
Pope Francis has been known for his Motu proprio changes to Canon Law as part of his reform of decentralization in the Church. He made headlines in the past for remodeling the Canons surrounding institutes of consecrated life, and for changing the name of the “Vatican Secret Archives” to the more-accurate “Boring Collection of Dusty Manuscripts.” Many commentators are saying this most recent change is simply a continuation of such trends.
“While this is unprecedented in terms of Canon Law, practically it will make no difference,” Vatican watchdog Thomas O’Leary told us. “Women have been Popes for years now, only unofficially. What we have here is the Pope just rubber-stamping what is already true in fact.”
Others took a more alarmist approach.
“By touching on what used to be considered a sacred consecration connected to Holy Orders, the Pope has effectively rewritten our understanding of the priesthood and the liturgy,” said SSPX spokeswoman Maria Lorenza Maria Josephina Maria Chyszinski opined. “Its times like these that I’m thankful I don’t have a Pope.”
Originally published Jan 15, 2021
