The Catholic Church announced, on Saturday, that it would leave “open” the issue of ordaining women as deacons, a position that precedes that of a priest, but without mentioning the possibility of priesthood, at the conclusion of a global summit on the future of the Catholic Church. Church in the Vatican.
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“The question of women’s access to the diaconate service remains open. This discrimination must continue,” we read in the final document approved by Pope Francis, at the end of a month of discussions.
If “women and men have equal dignity as members of God’s people,” then “women still face obstacles in obtaining greater recognition” in their role, we can read in this 51-page document.
As with priests, and unlike other religions, the Catholic Church allows only men to serve as deacons, a ministry that allows for the celebration of baptisms, weddings and funerals, but not Masses.
“There is no reason or obstacle that could prevent women from exercising leadership roles in the church,” the document stated, without specifying those roles. It also does not address the possibility of ordaining women as priests, which has been requested by many associations, especially in Europe and North America.
Since October 2, 368 people – religious, bishops and laity, including women – from about a hundred countries have debated behind closed doors in the Vatican during the Synod's General Assembly on the future of the Church, which has actually convened for the first time. The time is October 2023.
Among the 155 paragraphs, the paragraph on women was the one that received the largest number of objections, with a majority of 97 votes against and 258 votes in favour.
The document also proposes reorganizing the training of priests, increasing the participation of the laity including the selection of bishops, but does not make any proposals regarding the reception of LGBT faithful.
The synod is an advisory body that presents its conclusions to the pope, who has the final say on potential doctrinal reforms. But in a rare incident, the latter announced on Saturday that he directly adopts the council’s proposals, giving them official value.
“I do not intend to publish “apostolic guidance.” What we have agreed upon is sufficient. In the document, there are already very concrete indicators that can serve as a guide to the mission of churches on different continents and in different contexts.
As a result of the consultation of Catholics around the world since 2021, this 16e The General Assembly of the Synod was characterized by its horizontal work, with the first participation of lay people and about fifty women, a revolution in this institution created by Paul VI in 1965.
