Pope Francis has instructed the Vatican’s doctrine office to explore the role of women in the Catholic Church, including the potential for women deacons, with the aim of releasing a document on the subject.
According to EWTN Vatican, Cardinal Mario Grech revealed during a Vatican press conference on July 9,that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is examining “the women’s diaconate” as part of a broader study on ministries, in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Synod.
While the topic of female deacons will not be on the agenda for the second Synod on Synodality assembly in October, according to the Instrumentum Laboris published today, it will be included in the Vatican’s ongoing study on women’s leadership.
“The Holy Father has notified the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to study issues, including the issue of ministries. And speaking of ministries, there is also the theme of the women’s diaconate,” the EWTN Vatican reported qouted Grech.
It further indicated that he emphasized that the DDF will explore not only the diaconate but also broader ministerial roles for women. However, he did not mention the possibility of women being ordained as priests.
Following Grech’s comments, the Vatican confirmed that the DDF has already begun to study “theological and canonical questions around specific ministerial forms.” This in-depth study, led by Monsignor Armando Matteo, will particularly focus on the necessary participation of women in the life and leadership of the Church, with the goal of publishing a specific document on the topic.
The DDF study is one of ten study groups on Synod of Synodality themes announced by Pope Francis earlier this year. Today, the Vatican released the names of the members of each study group and described the DDF group, referred to as “Group Five.”
It would be recalled however that the Holy said no when he was asked in a recent interview with “60 Minutes,” about the possibility of women becoming deacons or clergy.
