Traditionally, such service was restricted to males because it was seen to be both an extension of the priest’s service at the altar (the priesthood itself being restricted to men) and a great way to introduce young men to the priesthood so that they might discern whether or not they themselves had a vocation. In the 1990s, Pope John Paul II chose to allow bishops to open altar service to females in their dioceses. Most bishops chose to do so. A few did not. Since both groups of bishops are free to act within their personal authority on this issue, it is not fair to characterize one bishop as “very orthodox” solely on the basis of his choice to disallow female altar servers.
