Pope Francis said Thursday he is willing to create a commission to study id women can be deacons in the Catholic Church, signaling an openness to letting women serve in ordained ministry now reserved for men.
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Francis agreed to the proposal for a commission when he faced questions on the role of women in the church from 900 superiors of women’s religious orders at a Vatican audience.
Deacons can oversee baptisms, witness marriages and perform funeral services, but are not allowed to celebrate Mass or hear confessions.
Pope Francis’s signal that he is open to the possibility of allowing women to enter the Catholic clergy as deacons will trigger fierce debate and deep division in the Church, one of his closest allies was quoted as saying Friday.
VATICAN CITY The Vatican played down on Friday expectations that Pope Francis might be ready to ordain women as deacons after he had raised hopes among liberal Catholics by promising to set up a commission to study the issue. But he said he would ask the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to report back on studies that have been done on the issue, Catholic News Service said. The conservative-leaning New York-based Catholic League declined to comment, with a spokeswoman calling the review an “internal church matter”. “I am in agreement”, the pope said. After the 5th century, the diaconate became a stopping ground for men preparing to be priests, according to the Vatican Radio.
“Women serve the church in countless ways”, she said. “What was the role of the deaconess in that time?”
In addition to assisting with the full-immersion baptisms of women, deaconesses would also serve as an aide to the bishop in determining the authenticity of domestic abuse, he said.
While Francis and popes before him have made clear that female deacons would not lead to women priests, the imagery and symbolism that come with being a deacon could soften people in the pews to the idea, Morrill said.
He said, “I think it’s absolutely wonderful”. “If women can be ordained as deacons, then this is going to weaken – not destroy – but weaken significantly the argument that women absolutely are incapable of being ordained as priests”. That may limit Francis’ options, said Patrick Hornbeck, chairman of the theology department at Fordham University in NY.
In 2002, the International Theological Commission examined the possibility of female deacons as part of a broader study of the diaconate.
Divided into seven chapters and a conclusion, the document’s second to last paragraph addresses the question of the ordination of women to the diaconate today. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is a “major crack in the ice” at the Vatican. Permanent deacons are married, help run the church and can assist the priest with preaching. I must admit we are a bit late in an elaboration of the theology of women.
Sr Carmen spoke about two of the questions that have been generating news headlines, including the Pope’s words on the need for more women in positions of leadership in the Church.
“Your vocation is for service, service to the church … but not of servitude”, said Francis.
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Francis’ lengthy discussion with the sisters consisted of four questions that touched on the lack of consecrated and lay women in decision-making roles in the Church, how to better insert women into the life of the Church, as well as the temptations of both feminism and clericalism.
