For Pope Francis, this is not the time for the female diaconate
The Catholic Church has closed the door to the ordination of women. Religious and lay people were hoping to hear proposals during the Synod held in the Vatican.
FAST DOWNLOAD
Pope Francis believes that now is not the time to debate the issue of female diaconate at the Synod taking place in the Vatican, the Prefect for the Dicastery (Vatican ministry) for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, told members of the assembly of bishops on Monday.
“We know that the Holy Father has expressed that at this time the question of the female diaconate is not ripe, and he has asked that we not entertain this possibility for now,” said Fernandez in a letter whose content was revealed at a press conference of the Synod by the prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini.
Following complaints from some Synod participants that the Dicastery for the Faith had not listened to proposals on the diaconate of women, Cardinal Fernandez proposed a meeting with those interested next Thursday, but, on behalf of the Pope, closed the door to the ordination of women.
In his letter, the Argentine cardinal, who is participating in a working group within the framework of the Synod, in which religious and lay people discuss key issues to make the Church a more inclusive and participatory institution, explained that the female diaconate “is not the most important answer for women today,” according to the pontiff.
“The commission studying the issue has partial conclusions that we will publish at the appropriate time, but it will continue to work” on this matter, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith stressed in his letter.
“The Holy Father is very concerned about the role of women in the Church, and even before the request of the Synod he asked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to explore the possibility of a development” on this, “without focusing on the sacred order,” the cardinal also asserts in his letter.
According to Fernandez, “we cannot work in any other direction, but I must say that I am in complete agreement,” before adding that “thinking of the diaconate for a few women does not resolve the issue of the millions of women in the Church.”
“To rush to demand the ordination of deaconesses is not the most important response today to promote women,” insisted the prefect.
Female Diaconate
At the beginning of the assembly of bishops, the special secretary of the XVI Synod of Bishops, Giacomo Costa, said that “it is not the time to make a decision” on the female diaconate, “but it is good to delve deeper into the subject.”
Costa explained that the question of whether women can officiate in some Church services will not be materialized in decisions during the meeting and recalled that Cardinal Fernández had already given “a very clear perspective” at the opening of the meeting, where he assured the Pope that before that “there are other issues to explore and resolve.”
In any case, “where we were at the beginning and where we are now is completely different,” said the first woman with a vote in the synod, Nathalie Becquart, deputy general secretary of the assembly, on the question of women in the Church.
The Synod , which will conclude next Sunday, enters its final phase this week, with the presentation of the final document containing the conclusions of the meetings that are being held in Rome throughout this month of October and in which issues such as strengthening the presence of women in the Church have been addressed.
This second session of the Synod, after the one held in October 2023, involves 368 members, including 53 women and around sixty cardinals. Last year, for the first time, women voted in a synodal assembly of the Catholic Church.
