The Vatican has established a series of unprecedented changes that give lay people more influence in the decisions of the Church.
As many as 70 lay people will participate in the next assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in Rome this October. According to synod organizers, this group of full-time members will comprise more than 20% of those present.
In addition, by Pope Francis' request, half of these 70 will be women. Until now—with a few exceptions—only bishops could vote at synod meetings.
The Synod of Bishops is a consultative council created by Pope Paul VI that was composed exclusively of clergy. Members meet periodically at the Pope's invitation to discuss Church matters.
The result of these meetings is a document that gages how the group feels about an issue. The Pope is free to disregard these findings or incorporate them into his teachings.
The organizers of the upcoming synod emphasized that these changes are important but also cautioned that the synod should not be equated to a parliament.
Cardinal Mario Grech of Malta, Secretary General of the Synod, says he is in favor of eliminating the votes that decide the matters of introduction in the document delivered to the Pope. Cardinal Grech argues that this body should be more of a meeting for prayer than rule-making.
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