Q: At a Catholic wedding outside a Mass, where the Catholic deacon is the celebrant but a minister from another Christian faith is present, may that other minister proclaim the Gospel? I know the Vatican ecumenical text says that ministers from other faiths may “read from Scripture,” but does that exclude the Gospel reading? I assume it does since a deacon will be present; I’m thinking of it like a SCAP service, where the deacon who presides also proclaims the Gospel. I appreciate your expertise, as always.
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A: The rubrics aren’t clear, but my opinion is yes, the minister may proclaim the gospel because this is a service without Mass, so the GIRM does not completely apply.
Consider, for example, the proclamation of the gospel passage when anointing the sick or at the celebration of Vigils from the Liturgy of the Hours. In those cases, there’s no objection to a layperson reading the gospel passage—even when a priest presides for the anointing. Even at SCAP, if a layperson presides, that person reads the gospel.
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