Editing Minor orders (section)

==Western Catholicism==
[[File:School of Rogier van der Weyden - Recto Confirmation and Conferring of Minor Orders, WA1863.221.jpg|thumb|''Confirmation and Conferring of Minor Orders'' (school of [[Rogier van der Weyden]], 15th century)]]
From the beginning of the 3rd century, there is evidence in [[Western Christianity]] of the existence of what became the four minor orders (acolytes, exorcists, doorkeepers, and readers), as well as of cantors and ''fossores'' (tomb diggers). The evidence for readers is probably the earliest. In the West, unlike the East, where imposition of hands was used, the rite of ordination was by the handing over to them of objects seen as instruments of the office.

The [[Council of Sardica]] (343) mentions the lectorate alone as obligatory before ordination to the diaconate. The obligation to receive all four minor orders appears to date only from a time when they ceased to indicate exercise of an actual function. Even in the early years of the 20th century, no minimum age, other than that of [[age of reason (canon law)|the "age of reason"]], was laid down for receiving minor orders.<ref name=CE/> However, the 1917 [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Code of Canon Law]] laid down that nobody was to be given [[cleric]]al [[tonsure]], which had to be received before minor orders, before beginning the regular course of theological studies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CIC 1917: text - IntraText CT|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_P36.HTM|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.intratext.com}}</ref> Before the entry into force of that Code, it was an almost universal custom to confer all four minor orders at one time, since the bishop was authorized to dispense from the rule that each order had to be exercised for some time before reception of the next highest order.<ref name=CE/> Today, as indicated in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, anyone who is to be ordained to the diaconate must already have received the ministries of lector and acolyte and exercised them for a suitable period, with an interval of at least six months between becoming an acolyte and becoming a deacon.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Code of Canon Law - IntraText|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3R.HTM|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

The 1917 Code of Canon Law also restricted conferral of tonsure and any order below that of the presbyterate to those who intended to become priests and who were judged likely to be worthy priests.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CIC 1917: text - IntraText CT|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0813/_P36.HTM|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.intratext.com}}</ref> Previously, there were [[lay cardinal]]s and others, including the famous [[Franz Liszt]], who received minor orders alone. They could even marry and remain clerics, the status of belonging to the clergy being at that time conferred through clerical tonsure, provided that they married only once and that to a virgin; but by the early 20th century a cleric who married was considered to have forfeited his clerical status.<ref name=CE/> Today, a man who receives what were previously called minor orders is not yet a cleric, since today one becomes a cleric only upon ordination to the diaconate,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Code of Canon Law - IntraText|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PX.HTM|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> a rule that applies even to members of institutes authorized to observe the 1962 form of the Roman Rite,<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_commissions/ecclsdei/documents/rc_com_ecclsdei_doc_20110430_istr-universae-ecclesiae_en.html Instruction on the Application of the Apostolic Letter ''Summorum Pontificum''], 30</ref> such as the [[Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter]] and others under the care of the [[Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei]], regarding, however, only the incardination of members within the institute or society.

In the early 20th century, Auguste Boudinhon said that, on the grounds that minor orders did not originate with Jesus or the apostles, the view that minor orders and the subdiaconate were [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacramental]], a view held by several [[Middle Ages|medieval]] theologians, was no longer held.<ref name=CE/> The slightly earlier G. van Noort said that the view of their sacramentality, which was held by most [[scholasticism|scholastic]] theologians, including [[Thomas Aquinas]], was then held only by a few, among whom he mentioned [[Louis Billot]] (1846–1931) and [[Adolphe Tanquerey]] (1854–1932).<ref>G. van Noort (revised by J. P. Verhaar), ''Tractatus de sacramentis'' (Paul Brand, Bussum, Netherlands 1930), vol. II, pp. 145–146</ref> In the 1950s, [[Antonio Piolanti]] recognized as orders only episcopacy, priesthood (presbyterate) and diaconate,<ref>[[Antonius Piolanti]], ''De Sacramentis'' (fifth edition, Marietti 1955), pp. 461–463</ref> the three whose transmission is reserved to bishops.<ref>Piolanti 1955, pp. 463–468</ref> In speaking of the hierarchical structure of the Church, the [[Second Vatican Council]] mentioned only these three orders, not minor orders or subdiaconate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lumen gentium|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

By [[Pope Paul VI]]'s ''[[motu proprio]]'' ''Ministeria quaedam'' of 15 August 1972, the term "minor orders" has been replaced by that of "ministries".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ministeria quaedam - Disciplina circa Primam Tonsuram, Ordines Minores et Subdiaconatus in Ecclesia Latina innovatur, Litterae Apostolicae Motu Proprio datae, Die 15 m. Augusti a. 1972, Paulus PP.VI|url=http://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/la/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19720815_ministeria-quaedam.html|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> Two of what were called minor orders, those of reader and acolyte, are kept throughout the [[Latin Church]], and national [[episcopal conference]]s are free to use the term "subdeacon" in place of that of "acolyte".<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', IV</ref> The motu proprio specified the functions of each of these two ministries.<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', IV–VI</ref> A prescribed interval, as decided by the Holy See and the national episcopal conference, is to be observed between receiving them.<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', X</ref> Candidates for diaconate and for the priesthood must receive both ministries and exercise them for some time before receiving holy orders.<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', XI</ref>

Conferral of the minor orders or ministries is by the [[Ordinary (Catholic Church)|ordinary]]: either a diocesan [[bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]] or someone who is [[Catholic Church hierarchy#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law|equivalent in law to a diocesan bishop]] or, in the case of clerical religious institutes and societies of apostolic life, a major superior.<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', IX</ref> The two ministries that are in use throughout the Latin Church could be conferred even on persons<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', VII</ref> who are not candidates for holy orders.<ref>''Ministeria quaedam'', III</ref>

In the Latin Church, the lay ministries of acolyte and lector, may be entrusted to all suitable faithful, whether male or female, per CIC Canon 230 §2.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spiritus Domini|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20210110_spiritus-domini.html}}</ref>  Additionally there is established the instituted ministry of the Catechist, whether male or female.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Antiquum Ministerium|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20210510_antiquum-ministerium.html}}</ref>