Study Commission on the Women's Diaconate explained

The first Study Commission on the Women's Diaconate was established in August 2016 by Pope Francis to review the theology and history of the ministry of women deacons (deaconesses) in the Roman Catholic Church. The commission report was not published. After the Amazonian synod, Pope Francis promised to re-open this commission. He established a second commission instead in April 2020.

Background

After existing for several centuries, the vocation of deacon was gradually transformed in the Catholic Church into an office reserved to men who were candidates for ordination as priests and were ordained as transitional deacons.[1] Participants in the Second Vatican Council recommended the restoration of the ancient permanent diaconate with votes taken in October 1963 and September 1964.[2] The Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen gentium) said that:[3] Although the question of including women in the ordained diaconate was brought to the Council, in 1967, Pope Paul VI authorized the establishment of a ministry of permanent deacons, still restricted to men but open to married men. Under the rules he established, both permanent and transitional deacons belonged to a single order and were ordained according to the same rite.[4] [5]

The Catholic Church had examined the question of women deacons in 2002, a report by the International Theological Commission, an advisory body to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.[6] On 26 October 2009, Pope Benedict XVI modified canon law to clarify the distinction between deacons and priests, writing that only the latter act "in the person of Christ", that the diaconate and priesthood are specific ministries rather than stages within the sacrament of order.[7]

Archbishop Paul-André Durocher of Gatineau, Canada, raised the idea of ordaining women as deacons when speaking to the Synod on the Family in 2015,[8] and continued to raise the issue following the synod.[9] A few senior prelates took opposing positions on the possibility of a female diaconate, including Cardinals Walter Kasper[10] and Gerhard Müller.[11] Some bishops support the ordination of women as deacons.[12] [13]

In a May 2016 audience with women religious at the triennial assembly of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), Pope Francis was asked about whether women could be included in the permanent diaconate, and was asked about the possibility of establishing an official commission to study the matter.[14] Francis responded that the history was "obscure" and that it was not clear what role deaconesses played or whether they were ordained, and added: "It seems useful to me to have a commission that would clarify this well."[15] Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi subsequently said that Francis "did not say he intends to introduce a diaconal ordination for women and even less did he speak of the priestly ordination of women."[16]

Creation

When Pope Francis created the Study Commission on the Women's Diaconate on 2 August 2016, he tasked it with examining the history of women serving as deaconesses in the Roman Catholic Church.[17] He named Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria SJ, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as its President and twelve members, six women and six men:[18]

The commission's members appear divided in their views. Zagano has written a book titled Holy Saturday: An Argument for the Restoration of the Female Diaconate in the Catholic Church, while Menke has argued that women cannot be deacons because they cannot be priests.[23]

In August 2016, the UISG thanked the Pope for following through on his commitment and for the number of women members.[24]

Work of the first Study Commission and outcome

The Commission held its first meeting in November 2016 in Rome.[25]

The Study Commission produced an initial report to Pope Francis[26] by January 2019.[27] In May 2019, Francis said the Study Commission had not yet produced a "definitive response" due to a lack of consensus regarding the role of deaconesses in early Christianity. Francis stated that: "They worked together. And they found agreement up to a certain point. But each one of them has their own vision, which doesn't accord with that of the others. They stopped there as a commission, and each one is studying and going ahead." While Francis indicated that individual study continued, he did not indicate whether the Study Commission remains active as a body.[26]

Second Commission

The Amazonian synod called for a continued study of the female diaconate. Pope Francis promised first to re-open the previous commission but then decided to established a new commission on 8 April 2020 with the following members:[28]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Cummings . Owen F.. Deacons and the Church. 2004. Paulist Press. Mahwah, New Jersey. 50. 9780809142422. 8 August 2016.
  2. Book: Rahner SJ, Karl . https://books.google.com/books?id=xJuAy-yH1uQC&pg=PA186. 181ff. Foundations for the Renewal of the Diaconate . The Teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the Diaconate. Bishops' Committee on the Diaconate, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . 1993. 9781555861858. David . Bourke . Karl H. . Kruger.
  3. Web site: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church . 21 November 1964. The Holy See. 8 August 2016.,. chapter III, paragraph 29.
  4. Web site: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 4 August 2016. Frequently Asked Questions About Deacons.
  5. Web site: Apostolic Letter: Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem . 18 June 1967. The Holy See. 8 August 2016 . Finally as regards the rite to be followed in conferring the sacred order of the diaconate and those orders which precede the diaconate, let the present discipline be observed until it is revised by the Holy See..
  6. News: Schneible. Ann. Pope creates commission to study women deacons. 4 August 2016. Catholic News Agency. 2 August 2016.
  7. News: New papal decree clarifies role of deacons and result of defections on marriage. 6 August 2016. Catholic News Agency. 15 December 2009.
  8. News: Elliott. Elizabeth A.. Deacons: Synod puts women deacons on the table. 4 August 2016. National Catholic Reporter. 12 May 2016.
  9. News: Hansen SJ. Luke. Archbishop Durocher: Address Violence against Women, Empower Women in the Church. 4 August 2016. America. 23 October 2015.
  10. News: Bischofskonferenz: Kardinal Kasper schlägt neues Amt für Frauen vor. de . 6 August 2016. Der Spiegel. 20 February 2013.
  11. Book: Muller. Gerhard Ludwig. Priesthood and Diaconate: The Recipient of the Sacrament of Holy Orders from the Perspective of Creation Theology and Christology. 2002. Ignatius Press. 978-0898708929 . San Francisco . II. Who Receives the sacrament of Holy Orders in the Degrees of Priesthood and Diaconate?.
  12. News: Kelly. Michael. We should discuss married priests and female deacons. 27 February 2017. Irish Catholic. 11 June 2017.
  13. News: Ryan. Sean. Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly Believes Permanent Diaconate will Benefit Church. 27 February 2017. CatholicIreland.net. 19 February 2017.
  14. News: McElwee. Joshua J.. Full text of questions to Francis from women religious. 4 August 2016. National Catholic Reporter. 12 May 2016.
  15. News: McElwee. Joshua J.. Francis to create commission to study female deacons in Catholic church. National Catholic Reporter . 4 August 2016. 12 May 2016.
  16. News: Wooden. Cindy. Pope did not say he'd ordain women deacons, spokesman says. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514113848/http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/pope-did-not-say-hed-ordain-women-deacons-spokesman-says.cfm. dead. 14 May 2016. 4 August 2016. Catholic News Service. 13 May 2016.
  17. News: Pope Sets Up Vatican Panel to Study Female Deacons Issue . Associated Press. 4 August 2016. New York Times. 2 August 2016.
  18. News: McElwee. Joshua J.. Francis institutes commission to study female deacons, appointing gender-balanced membership. 4 August 2016. National Catholic Reporter. 2 August 2016.
  19. News: 8 August 2016 . Santiago Madrigal, miembro de la comisión que estudiará el diaconado de las mujeres . Diario ABC . es . 2 August 2016 .
  20. News: National Catholic Reporter . 10 August 2016 . Members of Francis' women deacons commission express diverse views. 9 August 2016 . Joshua J. . McElwee .
  21. News: it . 3 August 2016 . La teologa sammarchese Michelina Tenace è stata chiamata da Papa Francesco . San Marco in Lamis.
  22. News: Gibson. David. American named to women deacons panel feels like she won Oscar. 4 August 2016. CRUX. 4 August 2016.
  23. News: Zauzmer. Julie. 'It could be a world-changing decision,' member of new Vatican committee on female deacons says. 4 August 2016. Washington Post. 2 August 2016.
  24. News: McElwee. Joshua J.. Global sisters group thanks Francis for creating commission on women in the diaconate. August 4, 2016. National Catholic Reporter. August 3, 2016.
  25. News: Women deacons commission to meet in Rome for first time next week . National Catholic Reporter . 20 November 2016 . 19 November 2016 . Joshua J. . McElwee .
  26. Joshua J. McElwee, Francis: Women deacons commission gave split report on their role in early church, National Catholic Reporter (May 7, 2019).
  27. Christopher White, Papal advisers say Francis will know right moment to act on women deacons, Cruz (January 16, 2019).
  28. Web site: Brockhaus. Hannah. 2020-04-08. Pope Francis establishes new commission to study women deacons. 2022-02-25. Catholic News Agency. en.

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