Women deacons

Synod seeks to expand consultations on women’s ministry, diaconate

The Vatican group studying the question of women's ministry, including the ordination of women to the diaconate, will expand its consultative phase to include women who do not serve as consultors to the dicastery in charge of the study group, synod officials announced.

Australian council in crisis after motions fail to get enough bishop votes

The agenda for the Second Assembly of Australia's Plenary Council was disrupted July 6 after more than 60 of the 277 members staged a protest over issues regarding women in the church, including the defeat of a motion to formalize support for the ordination of women as deacons.

Pope sets up new commission to study women deacons

Pope Francis has established a new "Study Commission on the Female Diaconate" as a follow-up to a previous group that studied the history of women deacons in the New Testament and the early Christian communities.

Synod calls for more Church roles for women, but stops short of diaconate

Members of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon asked that women be given leadership roles in the Catholic Church, although they stopped short of calling for women deacons.

Women’s role in Amazon Church does not depend on diaconate, sisters say

Whether or not the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon helps open the door to ordaining women deacons, women will continue to play a fundamental role in ministry in the Church in the region, religious sisters said.

Pope says study on women deacons was inconclusive

The commission Pope Francis appointed to study the history and identity of women deacons did not reach a unanimous conclusion about whether deaconesses in the early Church were "ordained" or formally "blessed," the pope said.

U.S. men and women religious superiors favor women deacons, study says

A new study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University surveyed men and women religious superiors in the United States about the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate and found that the majority were in favor of the idea.

Pope names six women, six men to panel to study women deacons

Pope Francis has appointed six men and six women to a commission to study the issue of women deacons, particularly their ministry in the early church.

Study of women deacons won’t be first, but might answer questions

The pope's agreement on the idea -- raised by members of the International Union of Superiors General, the leadership group for superiors of women's orders -- was interpreted by some as a thumbs-up to women deacons and eventually women priests, which the Vatican spokesman was quick to rebut the next day.

Pope tells women religious Vatican will study women deacons

Pope Francis told the heads of women's religious orders from around the world that he would set up a commission to study the New Testament deaconesses and he also insisted more can and should be done to involve lay and consecrated women in church decision-making at every level.
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