Thinking about women deacons

A lesson in humility I wasn't really looking for . . .

These past two weeks have been difficult ones.  As a Catholic woman who has been following the Synod on Synodality quite closely, I was looking forward the Second Session. 

I had become quite reconciled to the fact that many of the issues raised in the first session – for example, the possibility of women becoming deacons -  had been handed off to one the 10 Working Groups for deeper study.  It made sense to me that these complex issues be examined from all sides – theological, pastoral, scriptural, canonical – before Pope Francis made any final decisions about them.  

And I was looking forward to better understanding the practice of synodality itself.  The central topic of the Second session – “How can we be a Synodal Church in mission?”  is of great interest to me and I looked forward to learning what the synod members had to say about this important process.

But then the issue of women deacons landed back in my news feed like a bombshell.  On October 2, according to the interim update given by Cardinal Fernandez, Group Five, the group to whom the issue had been given for further study, "judges that there is still no room for a positive decision by the magisterium regarding the access of women to the diaconate, understood as a degree of the sacrament of holy orders."   

Now at the interim point, the issue had already been decided? 

Insult was added to injury when the Synod delegates’ request to meet with Group Five was met, not with an opportunity to gain understanding, but with a request that the delegates submit their questions for the Group in writing.   The synod delegates and the study group seemed to be operating at cross purposes, tempers were rising and positions staked out.  This seems to me to be the opposite of synodality.  No one was being heard.  There was no exchange of information, and thus, no room for conversion. Things had definitely taken a turn for the worse.

Denying women access to the diaconate in this precipitate fashion hurts more than I thought it would.  When I was younger I often felt I had a call to become a deacon.  Even though Pope Francis and the hierarchy have been sending out signals, some subtle, some not, I had held out hope.  But before I overreact, let me take a step back and look at this a little more calmly.

First, a bit of background . . .  

Deacons were originally established within the Church to serve the community. (See Acts 6:1-6) The Greek word from which they take their name - diakonia - literally means “service among others.” 

Over time – and I’m not exactly sure when or why - the deacon’s role as server in the community began to recede, and deacons began to acquire liturgical and sacramental duties. This reached its height when the diaconate became, effectively, a step along the way to priesthood, held primarily by seminarians.

Vatican II attempted to address this by restoring the role of Permanent Deacon and separating it from the role of Transitional Deacon.   The transitional diaconate remains a step seminarians take along the path to the priesthood.  Permanent Deacons are faithful men of good character,  generally married,  who are trained in this vocation, ordained by a bishop, and then placed in service in a parish.  They are not on the path to priesthood.

However, Permanent Deacons most visibly serve their assigned parishes by proclaiming the Word of God and preaching on it, performing baptisms, and celebrating marriage and funeral services that do not include a Mass.   Their duties, even post Vatican II, have remained largely liturgical and sacramental in nature. The “service to the community" aspect of their role is still pushed to the background.

The other issue concerning the diaconate is the desire of women to become deacons.  It surfaced several times in Pope Francis papacy prior to the Synod on Synodality, and it came up in synodal conversations held in parishes and dioceses all around the world.

The desire for women who have this call to be recognized by the Church, and the outright need for more ministers to serve and lead the people of God in parishes and missions around the world, point to an obvious solution – allow women to become deacons.  But somehow, the obvious solution is not easy. 

What have the synod delegates had to say about all of this? 

In their report issued last October, I think they had some very sensible suggestions.

·      First, they noted that in some cases, liturgical service continues to take precedence over service to the poor, as I described above.  Thus, their first suggestion is that the role of the deacon be clarified.  The Church needs to understand the diaconate in itself, as its own role and vocation, and not as a stage on the way to becoming a priest.  Further clarification of the deacon’s role, and possible separation of the diaconate from the priesthood theologically will help deacons recover their original function of serving the community. Sounds sensible to me and a very necessary foundational step!

·      Second, they noted that the permanent diaconate has not been accepted and implemented universally across the Church.  Some bishops and bishops’ conferences have welcomed it and robustly set out to train men to the permanent diaconate.  Other dioceses ordain only a handful of deacons a year, and some have not introduced the permanent diaconate at all.  The Report recommends a study of how the ministry of the diaconate has been implemented since Vatican II to better understand why.  This also sounds sensible and necessary.

What did the Synod Report have to say about women deacons?

Surprise! It doesn’t address the topic directly.  But it does have some important things to say that I think move this discussion forward.

All Synod participants recognize that both women and men are created in the image and likeness of God, that Jesus accepted women as his followers and disciples, and that in baptism all receive the same Spirit. They also acknowledge that in the Church today, women make up the majority of those in the pews and are the first teachers of the faith to their children. Finally, they state emphatically, that women are not an issue or problem to be solved, but equal participants in carrying out God’s plan. 

That said, the Synod delegates also noted several areas of concern, and I quote:  “Clericalism, a chauvinist mentality and inappropriate expressions of authority continue to scar the face of the Church and damage its communion. A profound spiritual conversion is needed as the foundation for any effective structural change. Sexual abuse and the abuse of power and authority continue to cry out for justice, healing and reconciliation.”

Direct mention of women in the diaconate was not made until we get to “Matters for Consideration” - which is the Synod delegates way of acknowledging that the group is divided on this issue. Some feel allowing women deacons breaks with Church Tradition; others feel it restores the diaconate to its origins in the early Church.  Some feel it responds to the signs of the times and would infuse new energy and vitality in the Church; others feel that making such a move would set a dangerous precedent of giving into the spirit of the world. Clearly this subject remains a contentious one.

What to do?  First and foremost, the Report states that the Church must ensure that women can increasingly participate in decision-making processes and assume roles of responsibility. Pope Francis has begun this by significantly increasing the number of women in positions of responsibility in the Roman Curia. This should also happen at other levels of Church life, in consecrated life and dioceses. Provision needs to be made in Canon Law accordingly. 

Second, research into the theological and pastoral implications of women in the diaconate must continue.  The Report noted that two papal commissions on the historical, theological and pastoral implications of women in the diaconate have already been convened under Pope Francis, but neither released their findings.  The Report asked that those findings be released to Synod participants by the time of their next meeting in October of 2024.  To my knowledge that has not happened yet.

My conclusion? 

First, I believe, scripturally, that the diaconate was established to serve the needs of the community, not as part of the path to the priesthood.  That role needs to be clearly and emphatically restored within the Church – both for the sake of the church and the sake of the world.  Jesus evangelized primarily through service and so must the Church in our age. 

Second, there is clear evidence in the Scriptures that women in the early Church served as deacons.  No one who is informed on this issue can truthfully deny this.

So, in my mind, the solution to this problem is simple.  Restore the role of deacon to its original purpose – as servers and organizers of servers to the community.  Train and consecrate deacons – both women and men - in that role and place them in service in every possible parish.

And leave aside, for now at least, the confusion of ordaining deacons – be they male or female. Ordaining women seems like such a sticking point for the men that currently inhabit the hierarchy of the Church.  To the point where both sides are hardening their hearts and failing to listen to each other.  That is the opposite of synodality.

Here’s hoping that in the synodal Catholic Church of the future, we, the People of God, made up of both clergy and laypeople, men and women, continue to listen to each other and especially to the Holy Spirit, to be church differently, more effectively, in a world that so desperately needs it.

Dear Holy Spirit, help me to not lose heart. I remind myself, I am a layperson, not just a woman.  The Church needs me to step up and be the person God intends me to be, fully, generously, faithfully, and humbly.  Help me to do my part and leave the changing of men’s minds to you. AMEN