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The women’s diaconate is a discussion that won’t go away.
Pope Francis consistently says “no” when asked if women can be deacons or join the Catholic clergy.
But Francis supports discussion about the women’s diaconate. This October’s synod working document affirms “theological reflection should continue”.
Since last December the Pope and his Council of Cardinal Advisors – the “C9” – have had four meetings where women’s input has been sought.
Talks from the December council meeting were published in February. Speeches three women made at that meeting and two cardinals’ responses to them are included in a book published on July 11.
The Church “has sometimes fallen into the trap of considering loyalty to ideas to be more important than attention to reality” the Pope’s foreword to the book says.
The women’s diaconate
At the February meeting, Salesian Sister Linda Pocher (pictured) told the C9 that justifications for reserving ordained ministry to men “are weak, and it is important to recognise and be aware of it”.
Biblically, the 12 apostles’ calling cannot be equated with the institution of priestly or episcopal orders as they are understood today.
Theological justifications for excluding women from holy orders that assumed women were inherently incapable of holding positions in the public sphere don’t hold true today, she said.
Furthermore historical papal decisions don’t justify maintaining the practice.
Many popes have altered positions held by their predecessors.
Some things won’t change
Cardinal Seán O’Malley responded to Pocher’s suggestions saying Church tradition reserves priestly ordination for men.
But Church leadership should find ways to open more ministries to women since male-only ordained ministry “will not change”.
It’s not a matter of men being superior to women.
While women must be able to fully contribute to the Church, “we cannot allow ourselves to make mistakes acting hastily or without a full consideration of the possible consequences of these changes”.
Furthermore, women everywhere need to occupy more leadership positions – in the Vatican, in archdioceses, dioceses and parishes he said.
Anglican view
Jo Bailey Wells, deputy secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, spoke to the C9 about the 1978 Lambeth Conference.
It gave each church the authority to decide whether to ordain women.
Part of the theological rationale was the idea that God created all humanity with the capacity to lead and govern.
Women’s subordination to men followed humanity’s fall from God’s grace, she said.
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich replied, saying the Anglican ordained ministry is “not entirely adaptable to Catholic ordained ministry.
“In the Catholic Church we have a unity of doctrine and a unity of the episcopal college, in communion with the bishop of Rome, which represents the universal Church” he said.
There are divisions between Anglican parishes supporting women’s ordination and those that don’t – particularly in recognising women bishops’ authority, he notes.
He is concerned that ordaining women could hinder the Church’s warming relations with the Orthodox churches.
He wonders if the Church’s synodal path that recognises its members’ baptismal dignity in which “ordained ministry becomes true service” could “reduce the frustration of many women”.
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