The London Tablet is reporting that proposals by Swiss bishops to allow lay theologians to give sermons and Protestants to receive Communion have met with the approval of the Curia in Rome.
The news was said to have been delivered last week by Bishop Amedee Grab, president of the Swiss bishops' conference.
The Tablet says that the Swiss church is having to cope with a shortage of priests and in an effort to deal with the crisis its bishops' conference has come up with controversial plans to make greater use of the laity serving as pastoral assistants.
The Swiss bishops' conference was said to have declared that the assistants (who hold university degrees in theology) are to be allowed to preach during Mass and baptise whenever a priest was not available.
However, in an update to our earlier posting on this site, the Austrian Kath.net news service - which had a journalist at the press conference - directly contradicts The Tablet.
It says: "[Bishop] Grab of Church stressed during the press conference, that "no priest shall be hindered to preach, and that no lay people are allowed to give a homily."
The mis-reporting also occurred in a number of other publications. It prompted Pro Ecclesia, a conservative Catholic group, to comment that it looked very much as if, shortly before setting out for Rome, the Swiss bishops were determined to "present the Vatican with a fait accompli"
SOURCE
Lay sermons permitted, Vatican tells Swiss bishops (The Tablet 12/2/05)
Swiss Controversy on homilies by lay people (Kath.Net 15/2/05)