Editing Subdeacon (section)

=== Latin Church ===
Prior to the reform instituted by [[Pope Paul VI]] with his ''[[motu proprio]]'' {{Lang|la|Ministeria quaedam}} of 15 August 1972, the '''subdiaconate''' was regarded as the lowest of the [[major orders]] of the [[Latin Church]]. He decreed that "the major order of subdiaconate no longer exists in the Latin Church" and that the functions previously assigned to the subdeacon are now entrusted to the acolyte and the lector; they also decreed that, where the local [[episcopal conference]] so desired, the acolyte could be called a subdeacon.<ref>[http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/p6minors.htm Pope Paul VI, ''Ministeria quaedam'']</ref>

The traditional rites of ordination to the subdiaconate and the [[minor orders]] (those of [[acolyte]], [[exorcist]], [[Reader (liturgy)|lector]] and [[porter (doorkeeper)|porter]]) are still employed for members of certain Catholic [[religious institute]]s and [[society of apostolic life|societies of apostolic life]] authorized to use the [[extraordinary form of the Roman Rite]].

As men in major orders, subdeacons, like deacons, were styled in English-speaking countries as "The Rev. Mr." In [[French language|French]] the title of {{Lang|fr|Abbé}} was often given to them and even to those in minor orders, as in the case of [[Franz Liszt]].

The subdiaconate was generally considered a major order in the Latin church from the late 12th century.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14320a.htm The 1917 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia]</ref> After that, ordination of a subdeacon did not include the [[laying on of hands]]. Instead, the bishop handed to him an empty [[Chalice (cup)|chalice]] and [[paten]], his vestments, [[cruet]]s of wine and water, and the Book of the [[Epistle]]s and pronounced a prayer of blessing for him. As a recipient of a major order, a subdeacon could not contract marriage, and any breach by him of the obligation to observe [[clerical celibacy|celibacy]] was classified as a sacrilege (cf. canon 132 of the [[1917 Code of Canon Law]]). Canon 135 of the same Code of Canon Law obliged him to say all the [[canonical hours]] of the [[Liturgy of the Hours|Divine Office]] (Liturgy of the Hours or [[Breviary]]).

The other major orders were those of the [[Deacon#Latin Catholicism|deacon]] and [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|priest]], that of [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]] not being then considered an order distinct from that of priesthood. Thus, in speaking of orders, the [[Catechism of the Council of Trent]] declares : "Their number, according to the uniform and universal doctrine of the Catholic Church, is seven, Porter, Reader, Exorcist, Acolyte, Sub-deacon, Deacon and Priest. [...] Of these, some are greater, which are called 'Holy', some lesser, which are called 'Minor Orders'. The great or Holy Orders are Sub-deaconship, Deaconship and Priesthood; the lesser or Minor Orders are Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Catechism of the Council of Trent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1w7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA288|year=1833|page=288 | last1=Church | first1=Catholic }}</ref>

Today the [[Latin Church]], as stated in the [[1983 Code of Canon Law|Code of Canon Law in force since 1983]] ("The orders are the episcopate, the presbyterate, and the diaconate"),<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3N.HTM Code of Canon Law, canon 1009 §1]</ref> recognizes only three orders, those of bishop, priest (presbyter) and deacon, also referred to as "sacred orders" or "holy orders".<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/88.HTM Concordance of use of the term "orders" in the Code of Canon Law]</ref><ref>[https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P4U.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders]</ref> In line with Pope Paul VI's {{Lang|la|Ministeria quaedam}}, what were called minor orders are now called ministries.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19720815_ministeria-quaedam_lt.html ''Ministeria quaedam''], II</ref>

In the [[Solemn Mass|Solemn High Mass]] form of [[Tridentine Mass]] and the [[Divine Worship: The Missal|Ordinariate Mass]], the duties of a subdeacon included those of [[crucifer]], singing the Epistle, holding the Book of Gospels while the deacon sings the Gospel, carrying it back to the celebrant afterwards and assisting the priest or deacon in setting the altar. Although the subdeacons were allowed to carry out numerous functions specific to the diaconate, however they were always precluded from distributing Communion, in the form of both bread and wine.<ref>''[https://www.papalencyclicals.net/ben14/b14exquo.htm Ex Quo Primum]'', n. 42, citing the [[Council of Laodicea|Canon of Laodicea]] XXV</ref> The subdeacon's specific vestment is the tunicle, in practice almost indistinguishable in form from the deacon's [[dalmatic]] (the tunicle is sometimes somewhat longer than the dalmatic or had slightly less elaborate decoration, but this is often unnoticeable by the casual church-goer). Unlike deacon and priest, he never wears a stole. In the former Mass rites he wore a maniple and also wore a [[humeral veil]] while holding the paten from the Offertory to the ''Our Father''; and, if the chalice and paten with host are not already on the altar, he also used the humeral veil when bringing these to the altar at the Offertory. In practice, the roles of deacon and subdeacon in Solemn High Mass were generally performed by men already ordained as priests, wearing the subdiaconal or diaconal vestments. The [[Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter]] uses instituted acolytes in the role of subdeacon, but also uses men ordained as priests or deacons for the subdiaconal role.