Breaking a 2,000-year-old tradition, the Catholic church in Kerala will permit girls to perform certain altar duties, which have normally been done by boys till now.Girls up to the age of 14 will be allowed to “serve the altar” and assist the priest in liturgical ceremonies like mass functions, which were normally being done by boys, spokesman of the Syro Malabar Church Father Paul Thelakat said. The altar girls will have specific roles to play during liturgical ceremonies, like lighting the incense, helping the priest to perform certain functions, he said. But this was certainly not a first step towards ordaining women as priests, Father Thelakat said. According to the Catholic church women are not to be ordained.‘‘Christ had appointed 12 apostles who were all men. The church believes that priesthood is only for men,’’ he said. Churches under the Ernakulam-Angamally Archdiocese have been permitted to have altar girls.
