Salzburg woman proud

Signal for women: Lector appointed by the Pope

The power of the word fascinates her: Johanna Breuer speaks up during readings. She has just been with the Pope.

(Bild: HIWA)

A tentative signal for the empowerment of women in the Catholic Church: Johanna Breuer is one of two women from Salzburg who have just been appointed as a lector in the cathedral by the Pope himself - with an Instagram post included. 

A great joy! A gift," enthuses Johanna Breuer after her trip to the Vatican. She was personally commissioned by the Pope himself to read out readings at a mass, then even found herself on the Pope's profile on social media and is proud of it.

Insta-posting on the Pope's profile: the Holy Father presented her with a Bible.

(Bild: zfg)

She prepares readings meticulously
She has been speaking at church services since 2006: previously in the Franciscan Church, now in Salzburg Cathedral. She does this with a powerful voice, having worked as a PR specialist for cultural institutions for a long time in her professional life. The word of God is the highest category, something like the royal class. Breuer stands at the altar in the cathedral almost every Sunday.

She takes the preparation more than seriously: once a year, the lectors are given the missal, which already contains all the Bible passages for the readings. She then studies the words and reads the passages aloud, preferably seven to ten times. It is important for her to know in advance where to place "light and shade" when reading. Johanna Breuer rarely misreads and when she does, she elegantly overcomes the mistake. "Only once as a cantor," says Breuer: "I had the wrong psalm at the top of my documents." The mistake was quickly corrected.

She takes on important coordination work
In addition to reading, Breuer coordinates the lectors in the cathedral. She is proud that she has just been able to recruit a young new member - the lady is in her 30s.

The empowerment of women in the church is progressing slowly. At the World Synod last year, the Pope decided not to discuss the possible ordination of female deacons any further.

The possibility of women becoming priests seems to be light years away. Johanna Breuer does not want to criticize this: "I don't see women in the priesthood." She came to this decision as a 55-plus student of theology: "I have seen that there is a complex, closely interwoven 2000-year history behind it." There's no need to overturn the tried and tested, she says, but she is in favor of the Pope opening up the office of permanent lector to women. "This increases the visibility of women."