Vatican holds firm: Female diaconate not yet ripe for change
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, conveyed the Pope's stance on the issue of the female diaconate. According to Pope Francis, the situation is not yet mature enough to introduce such changes.
The issue of women's roles within the Church and calls for their increased inclusion are being brought up in connection with the ongoing synod of bishops at the Vatican, which aims to outline the Church’s future. Some believe that the lack of resolutions on this matter, including the absence of prospects for the female diaconate, might impact the evaluation of the synod's outcomes.
During the synod, the dicastery, led by the Argentine cardinal, was criticized for not listening attentively to proposals regarding the female diaconate. In his address to the synod, Vatican insiders note that Cardinal Fernández, representing the Pope, has so far "closed the door" to such a possibility.
We know that the Holy Father has stated that presently, the issue of the diaconate is not mature, and he asked us not to concentrate on this possibility now – stated the cardinal, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.
He explained that the commission appointed to analyse this issue has reached "partial conclusions," which – as he mentioned – will be published at an appropriate time. The commission is still working, he noted, adding that the Pope confirmed his desire for it to continue its work.
At the same time, Cardinal Fernández assured that the issue of women's roles in the Church is significant to the Pope. According to the prefect, "considering the diaconate for some women will not address the issue concerning millions of women in the Church." The rush to call for the ordination of female deacons is not the most crucial response today to advance women’s roles, he assessed. He added that this is the "direction of work at this stage."
Women's diaconate — an ongoing issue
The women's diaconate or ordination is not a new concern. The "Onet" portal recalls that John Paul II maintained "The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination upon women and that this judgement is to be definitively upheld by all the Church’s faithful."
Although the Pope did not specifically mention the diaconate, in 2019 Cardinal Gerhard Müller, based on John Paul II's teachings, indicated that this includes all degrees of holy orders. It seems that the current position of Pope Francis, although appearing somewhat milder, once again delays this issue to an indefinite future.
