Open letter to the President of the French Bishops' Conference concerning the altar service during Pope Leo's visit to France

Published on August 1, 2026 -

Our open letter to the President of the Conference of Bishops of France to ensure that young girls will be able to serve at the altar alongside boys during the masses celebrated by Léon in September

Our conviction is simple: there is no justification for excluding young girls from serving at the altar during Mass. While boys naturally participate in the celebration, girls are still, in many French parishes, directed towards separate roles, such as "servants of the assembly" or "servants of Mary".

This difference in treatment is theologically unfounded and is difficult to reconcile with the provisions of canon law.

That is why, as Pope Leo prepares to celebrate several masses in France during the month of September, Magdala has officially written to the president of the Conference of Bishops of France to ensure that on this occasion, girls and boys will be able to share the service of the altar, in a spirit of justice and without any form of discrimination.

Please find our open letter below.

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Brother,

With the approach of Pope Leo's visit to France and the masses to be said at Place de la Concorde on Saturday September 26 and at Metz Cathedral on Monday the 28th, we would like to ensure that young girls will serve at the altar alongside boys.

We would gladly have dispensed with this letter, which you may, and we hope, find superfluous, but a glance at our map prompted us to be cautious. Indeed, we learned that in our country, more than half of the parishes exclude girls from the vicinity of the altar, unlike the practices in Belgium, Germany, Spain, India… and even the Vatican.

Canon law is very clear, however: according to the instruction Redemptionis sacramentum, "girls and women may be admitted to the service of the altar, at the judgment of the diocesan Bishop ."

In 2024, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the International Association of Altar Servers, publicly confirmed that there was no reason to exclude girls from altar service, that they were fully in their place there.

The French tendency to make young girls into "servants of the assembly" or "servants of Mary" asked to wear a cape rather than an alb, would therefore be a conscious choice of our bishops.

This function, for which nothing in Church law establishes the necessity or even the existence, contributes to fostering a devaluing representation of girls and future women in their community.

While the boys serve in the sanctuary, the girls distribute the song sheets. It is not uncommon, at the offertory, to see them carry the offerings back up the nave to place them in the hands of their male counterparts as they ascend the steps leading to the altar.

This gesture is of rare symbolic violence.

Why such discrimination between children who are all equal by virtue of their baptism? On what grounds? For what reasons? We do not know. We deplore it.

Firstly, because distinguishing between altar server and assembly server seems to us to be nonsense: our young ministers (for the service of the altar is a "true liturgical ministry" in the sense of article 29 of the constitution on the liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium adopted at Vatican II) are precisely not only at the service of the altar but also of the liturgy of the Word and of the assembly " as a figure of the Church in prayer and body of Christ" .

Therefore, following Patrick Prétot, a monk and theologian teaching at the Higher Institute of Liturgy, we believe that this amounts to introducing " a surreptitious separation between the nave and the sanctuary, and even more so between the congregation and the various ministries ." However, "with St. Augustine, we must remember that the principle 'with you, I am a Christian, for you I am a bishop' implies that even ordained ministers are part of the congregation and are 'servants of the congregation . '"

We deplore it further because this trend profoundly contradicts the spirit of the synodal approach initiated by Pope Francis and continued by Leo, which calls for greater co-responsibility of all the baptized in the life of the Church, without distinction of gender.

Let us recall that in 2021, canon 230 of the Code of Canon Law was modified in order to institutionalize the opening of lay ministries to women as well as men, preferring to base the choice of future ministers on their "age and [their] qualities" rather than on anatomical criteria.

Baptismal equality is not a pious wish.

It is even the exact reason for the existence of the "Catholic Church" which takes its name from the Greek "universal assembly of believers" - we will never tire of remembering this.

The masses on September 26 and 28 therefore seem to us to be the perfect opportunity for the Church in France to send a strong signal.

Brother Jean-Marc, as President of the Conference of Bishops of France, you are the guarantor of unity with Rome and hold a truly vital role in national leadership. We therefore ask you to officially confirm that, during these services, girls will be part of the group of children serving at the altar, the Word, the Church, and Pope Leo.

After all, it is simply a matter of applying what Church law already allows.

Otherwise, the Church in France, which sometimes seems to regress rather than advance on social issues that are nevertheless settled by its own texts, will have to resign itself to seeing women and girls quietly drift away from it, without their departure being heard or considered.

Fraternally, sisterly,

The team from Magdala, a Catholic and feminist association

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To support our initiative, you can write to:

Jean-Marc Aveline
President of the Conference of Bishops of France
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
58, avenue de Breteuil – 75007 Paris

Celestino Migliore
Apostolic Nuncio to France
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10, Avenue du Président Wilson – 75116 Paris

Benoit Bertrand
President of the organizing committee for the Pope's visit to France
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Diocese of Pontoise – 16, chemin de la pelouse – 95300 Pontoise

Laurent Ulrich
Archbishop of Paris
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10, rue du cloître Notre Dame – 75004 Paris

Philippe Ballot
Archbishop of Metz
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Episcopal House – Bishopric of Metz – 15, place Sainte-Glossinde – BP 10690 – 57019 METZ Cedex 01

 French original

A CALL TO OPEN-MINDED CHRISTIANS

We, representatives of 30 Christian associations gathered at the General Assembly of Les Réseaux du Parvis around “The spirit of Jesus as an art of living in the world, an inspired humanism,” reaffirm that Jesus practiced an unconditional welcome of all people in his time and that, following his example, we want to live in brotherhood and sisterhood beyond religious, cultural, and social identities.

We therefore call on open-minded Christians, whether or not they are affiliated with institutional Churches, to distance themselves, by whatever means they choose, from the extreme fringe of identity-based Catholicism, which is instrumentalised through massive funding and media campains by the far-right, in its attempt to take over Christianity,

The gospel has nothing to do with such attitudes, being a message of liberation and respect for all, beginning with the least, the excluded, and the strangers :

The gospel belongs neither to those nostalgic for Vatican I nor to Christians in general, but to all of humanity.

In this spirit, we also denounce the excesses and abuses of a Catholic institution in crisis which, despite the recommendations of the CIASE, remains hostage to a sacralized and exclusive tradition and to male power, both of which deny the equality of human beings and crush the “little ones.” The abuses recently uncovered in Catholic educational institutions have the same roots.

In these times of global imbalance, alongside wars, calls for hatred of others, and systems where the law of the strongest prevails, there are other human relationships, paths that create both meaning and life. All these paths, without exception, involve justice, dialogue, and the primacy of human beings, especially the most fragile or the most exploited ones, over finance.

On these open paths, where the spirit of Jesus is one of the vectors of hope, we want to share the history of our common Earth

with all people of good will, for a reconciled humanity.

*

November 30, 2025

- Chevilly-Larue -

PRESS RELEASE from the 2025 General Assembly of « LES RÉSEAUX DU PARVIS »

[ French Original ]

A first question about the new pope-elect is to ask whether we can embody tradition and modernity at the same time...

Immediately, one said to oneself that this was a return to wooden language in the Church in order to spare all sensitivities with the risk of avoiding schism, that all the space would be taken by the traditionalists, but did not the beauty of the rites serve only the elite without clearly stating it? Is not the introduction of the fleur-de-lis in the coat of arms of Leo XIV also likely to reinforce theocratic and monarchical ideology, this is a concern...

Certainly, we can privilege the Way of Love for all, united in Christ. To love the traditional and the progressive at the same time without responding to their hopes, because to love is first and foremost to do justice to the existence of the other. But is loving in itself enough to dodge reforms: such is the challenge of the new pope. Will he protect tradition by immobility to the point of not taking any decision on the place of women in the Church?

Are global geopolitics and diplomacy, so necessary, more important than the 50% of women's humanity that has been a priority topic for many years because they continue to be despised and relegated to menial tasks all over the world?

The current collapse of vocations to the priesthood, of baptisms and of the faith, carried by women, is certainly a response to the impossibility of dodging a reform in favor of women without increasing the crisis of the Church.

The ambition to become a great pope in reference to Leo the Great and Leo XIII, capable of solving the world's problems in favor of peace and the poor, must therefore take into account this crucial question.

Finally, the ideology that is also a prelude to the establishment of any institution, including religious institutions, cannot be a pretext for refusing a dialogue with women: when will there be a synod or a council strictly dedicated to women to find the way to the inclusion of women in the Catholic Church?

Annick Guillou 11/05/2025

Why am I a candidate for the position of Archbishop of Lyon?

[ German ]  [French original ] 

• Noting that in 2020 in the Catholic Church no woman leads even one diocese, not one woman is a priest, no woman is a deacon, no woman has a vote regarding decisions at a synod,
• Considering that the exclusion of half of humanity is not only contrary to the message of Jesus Christ, but damages the Church, leaving the institution prone to abuse,
• Considering that I am not an unknown person, nor a corridor apparatchik, but I have been active in my Church for 35 years, in the field, as a Bible scholar, theologian, journalist, author, President for 8 years of the Conférence des Baptisé-e-s, and the current President of the Comité de la Jupe.
• Everything authorises me to say that I am capable of applying for the title of Bishop, everything makes me legitimate. But everything forbids it to me.
• If my candidature is forbidden by Canon Law, it is simply because I am a woman, that women cannot be priests and only priests when they are appointed as bishops, govern the Catholic Church.

[Translation of the French original]

Warum bin ich ein Kandidat für das Amt des Erzbischofs von Lyon?

• Wenn man bedenkt, dass im Jahr 2020 in der katholischen Kirche keine Frau auch nur eine Diözese leitet, keine Frau Priesterin, keine Frau Diakonin ist und keine Frau eine Stimme bei Entscheidungen auf einer Synode hat,
• In der Erwägung, dass der Ausschluss der Hälfte der Menschheit nicht nur der Botschaft Jesu Christi widerspricht, sondern der Kirche schadet und die Institution anfällig für Missbrauch macht,
• Wenn man bedenkt, dass ich weder ein Unbekannter noch ein Korridor-Apparatschik bin, sondern dass ich seit 35 Jahren in meiner Kirche auf diesem Gebiet tätig bin, als Bibelwissenschaftler, Theologe, Journalist, Autor, seit 8 Jahren Präsident der Conférence des Baptisé-e-s und derzeitiger Präsident des Comité de la Jupe.
• Alles berechtigt mich zu sagen, dass ich in der Lage bin, mich um den Bischofstitel zu bewerben, alles macht mich legitim. Aber alles verbietet es mir.
• Wenn meine Kandidatur durch das Kirchenrecht verboten ist, dann nur deshalb, weil ich eine Frau bin, dass Frauen keine Priester-innen sein können und nur Priester, wenn sie zu Bischöfen ernannt werden, die katholische Kirche regieren.

CCBF Press release February 17 2020

Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation “Dear Amazon”

The CCBF takes note of the encouragement contained in this apostolic exhortation for Catholics. It invites them to be inventive in matters of ministries, celebrations and rites, in conformity with the genius of Christianity, so that they feel fully responsible for the proclamation of the Gospel, without waiting for approval from the hierarchy.

The apostolic exhortation "Dear Amazon" which has just appeared refocuses on the Amazonian question which it explores in all its dimensions, economic, political, ecological, cultural and ecclesial. In doing so, it ignores, without approving or canceling them, the proposals of the bishops assembled in synod who had, by a large majority, pronounced in favor of the ordination of married men, to alleviate not only the shortage of priests, the dispersion of communities, but also their cultural differences, in particular linguistic ones. Some hoped for a decision from the Magisterium for a free choice of ministers ordained between celibacy and marriage.

But one cannot at the same time be disappointed that the pope does not make a decision on the ministries and at the same time ask that it is the people who propose the changes. One cannot at the same time aspire to a synodal structure and wait for the current organization to decide to establish it. Apart from his prophetic mission, Pope Francis is sensitive to his symbolic position as guarantor of the unity of a Catholic Church, currently threatened by the temptation of a schism.

The CCBF considers that the apostolic exhortation encourages all the people of God to invent in matters of ministries, celebrations and rites, in conformity with the genius of Christianity, and so that they feel completely responsible for the announcement of the 'Gospel, without waiting for approval from the hierarchy. A Synodal Church will result from a state of affairs by avoiding confrontation in matters of discipline.

As François says, we must "overcome limited perspectives to seek broader and more daring paths". Well, let's go!

The Conference of the Baptized

The CCBF is a network of people and associations in 1901 that brings together open-minded Christians. At the center of this network, an association (the Diaconia for the baptized) manages common services and pools experiences. The network promotes a real public opinion in the Church and contributes by taking positions and services - celebrations, readings followed by gospels, formation, conferences, discussion forum, etc. - to put themselves in the wake of the Synodal church advocated by Pope Francis. 

https://www.baptises.fr

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