Vatican: The issue of the ordination of women to the rank of deacon is open –

The Roman Catholic Church left “open” the question of the ordination of women to the office of deacon, a rank before that of priest, with the end of the world council on its future in the Vatican.

“The issue of the ordination of women to the rank of deacon remains open. This distinction will continue,” reads the final text approved by Pope Francis after a month of discussions.

Although “women and men are of equal value as members of God’s people (…) women still face obstacles to greater recognition” of their role, the 51-page text notes.

As with priests and unlike other denominations, the Roman Catholic Church allows only men to be ordained deacons. Deacons can perform sacraments, such as baptisms, weddings and funerals, but not services. “There is no reason and no obstacle that would prevent women from exercising administrative roles in the Church,” the document added, but without specifying those roles. There is also no mention of the ordination of women priests, as many dioceses in Europe and North America have requested.

Since October 2, 368 people – from bishops to lay people and, among them, a few dozen women – from 100 countries discussed the future of the Church behind closed doors, in the General Assembly of the Synod which had been convened for the first time in October 2023.

The objections and the guide for the future

The final text consists of 155 paragraphs and the one concerning women received the most objections, with 97 votes against and 258 in favor.

The text also proposes the reorganization of the training of priests and the greater participation of the laity in ecclesiastical matters, including the selection of bishops. No proposal is made for the reception of the faithful of the LGBTI+ community by the Church.

The Synod is a consultative body that submits its conclusions to the pope, who has the final say on dogma reforms. The pontiff, however, announced earlier today that he would immediately accept her proposals.

“In this document there are very specific instructions that can serve as a guide for the mission of the Churches on the different continents and in different contexts”said Pope Francis at the end of the session, this evening.

SOURCE: APE-ME