A letter released by the Vatican on 4th December, reported the results of a vote by the Commission set up by Pope Francis to look into the question of ordaining women as deacons.
The vote was 7-1 in favour of a statement that the church cannot currently move forward with ordaining women deacons as the current state of historical and theological research “excludes the possibility of proceeding” in this respect. This reiterates an approved statement voted on in 2022, which said, “In light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and ecclesiastical teaching, this assessment is strong, although it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time, as in the case of priestly ordination.”
This is clearly disappointing for many modernisers in the Roman Church, not to mention women who feel called to the diaconate or indeed the priesthood. As the article points out, this statement ‘slows momentum’ on one of the most hotly debated questions within the Church. But it did stop short of a definitive No.
From an Anglican point of view, although some of our male clergy still disagree with woman’s ordination, we can see the huge benefits that women clergy have brought to the church. The fact that we now have 23 women bishops in the Church of England and are about to appoint our first female Archbishop of Canterbury, witnesses to the significant skills, competence and experience that women have brought to the role.
Read the full story in the National Catholic Reporter here.
Picture above: women’s ordination, St Paul’s Cathedral London, 2014