Pope institutes commission to study the diaconate of women

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(Vatican Radio) In the course of a dialogue during a meeting with the participants in the Plenary Assembly of Superiors General, which took place in May, Pope Francis expressed his intention to “establish an official commission that could study the question” of the diaconate of women, “especially with regard to the first ages of the Church.”
After intense prayer and mature reflection, Pope Francis has decided to institute the Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women. As president of the Commission, Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, SJ. In addition to Archbishop Ladaria, the commission is composed of six women and six men from academic institutions around the world.
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en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/08/02/pope_institutes_commission_to_study_the_diaconate_of_women/1248731
 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/i...e_26_2016_Credit_Edward_Pentin_CNA.jpgVatican City, Aug 2, 2016 / 05:21 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has instituted a new commission for the study of women deacons, the Vatican announced Tuesday.

The decision comes several months after a papal audience with a group of religious sisters, during which Pope expressed his willingness to consider forming a commission to study women deacons, such as they existed in the early Church.

According to the Aug. 2 press release, the pontiff came to the decision after a period of “intense prayer and mature reflection.”

The new commission will be headed by Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, who will lead a group comprised of twelve members, half of whom are women.

Both lay and religious women have been chosen for the commission, including Sr. Mary Melone, rector of the Antonianum university, Prof. Phyllis Zagano at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and Marianne Schlosser, professor of spiritual theology at the university of Vienna and member of the International theological commission.

Also included in the list is Fr. Robert Dodaro, president of the Augustinianum University in Rome.

The Vatican statement mentioned the May 12 papal audience with members of the International Union of Superiors General, during which the question of women deacons was raised during a Q&A session.

At the audience, one sister asked why the Church does not include women in the permanent diaconate. The sister had referred to an ancient tradition in the Church in which there were female deacons, and suggested that a commission be established to study the possibility.

Reports quickly circulated following the event that Pope Francis was paving the way for the ordination of women deacons, and potentially even women priests. Holy See press office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi clarified in a May 13 statement that the Pope had no such intention.

During an in-flight press conference after the his trip to Armenia last June, the Pope spoke of cases in the early Church where women were given similar roles to deacons. For instance, women would be employed to baptize other women for the sake of modesty, since at that time the practice involved full immersion.

The subject of women deacons has previously been studied by the Church, including a 2002 document from the International Theological Commission, and advisory body to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Pope Francis further told journalists during the June 26 press briefing there was no change in the works to allow for the ordination of women to the deaconate.

feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/catholicnewsagency/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/catholicnewsagency/dailynews/~4/wcXvpHFzv7Y

Full article…
 
Wasn’t this discussed a month or two ago? I thought the pope himself put the kibosh on this?
 
Following up on comments made in May, Pope Francis has instituted a 12-member commission to study women and the diaconate.

More…
 
The article says that there were women deacons in the early Church. Does anyone know anything about this?
 
Catholic_farmer said:
The article says that there were women deacons in the early Church. Does anyone know anything about this?
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Romans 16:1 ; Phil 1:1

(I admit I don’t know what the Church teaches about this scripture, and I guess that there were early church fathers who talked about deaconess’. Im sure those who know more will weigh in)
 
Marie5890 said:
Romans 16:1 ; Phil 1:1

(I admit I don’t know what the Church teaches about this scripture, and I guess that there were early church fathers who talked about deaconess’. Im sure those who know more will weigh in)
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I thought of Romans 16:1 too, but I’m not sure if the translation of “deacon” there means what it means in modern terms.

There’s also 1 Timothy 3:12
This brings up the same question of translation.
 
Catholic_farmer said:
The article says that there were women deacons in the early Church. Does anyone know anything about this?
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AFAIK, they were used to help newly baptized WOMEN dress in their garment…as I think baptism was in the nude in the early days. They were not ordained like deacons of today.

There is no need for female deacons.
 
Isn’t this a several-months-old story whose media-driven “Female deacons coming?” spin has already been denied by the Vatican?
 
Catholic_farmer said:
The article says that there were women deacons in the early Church. Does anyone know anything about this?
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Chris this out:

"It reflected what the professor to whom Pope Francis had spoken said, referring to the Constitutiones Apostolorum, or the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles from around 380, which stressed that deaconesses had “no liturgical function,” but rather devoted themselves “to their function in the community which was service to the women.”

The function of a deaconess, the document read, was summed up in the constitutions thus: “The deaconess does not bless, and she does not fulfil any of the things that priests and deacons do, but she looks after the doors and attends the priests during the baptism of women, for the sake of decency.”

While deaconesses were able to carry out the anointing of women in baptism for decency’s sake and to visit sick women in their homes, “they were forbidden to confer baptism themselves, or to play a part in the Eucharistic offering.”

Even in the fourth century, the document read, “the way of life of deaconesses was very similar to that of nuns.”

While history proves that the ministry of female deacons did indeed exist, the text noted that it was “developed unevenly” in the different parts of the Church, and that affirmed that it is clear “that this ministry was not perceived as simply the feminine equivalent of the masculine diaconate.”

catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-says-hes-open-to-studying-the-female-diaconate-94916/

Bold text by me.
 
Mattapoisett64 said:
Isn’t this a several-months-old story whose media-driven “Female deacons coming?” spin has already been denied by the Vatican?
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No. This is a story from the Vatican this morning. The pope has appointed a commission to study the diaconate for women. Members of the commission include several Jesuits and Pnyllis Zagano.
 
rfournier103 said:
Wasn’t this discussed a month or two ago? I thought the pope himself put the kibosh on this?
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It first came up about a month ago when the Pope suggested he may form a commission. He later clarified that he was not necessarily advocating for a diaconate of women, but merely saying the issue should be studied. The Church is now studying it, just as he suggested.
 
It certainly says something when Phyllis Zagano is a member of the commission. She is an excellent scholar and a strong advocate in favor of ordaining women to the diaconate. I’ve been reading her work for years.
 
Just to be clear.

This commission is not looking into whether or not women should be ordained as deacons.
Instead it is looking into the role of women and what the women deacons did and did not do in the early church.

There is some controversy as to whether what women deacons did in the early church is the same as what is expected of deacons today. It is very possible that the title meant something entirely different in those days and something different when referring to a woman rather than a man. We do know a lot about the period but it would be good to have a study concentrating on this subject and that is what the commission has been asked to address.

The commission will issue a report when it is finished.

There is no indication that any further action may or may not be taken after the report is issued and the commission is not being asked for any sort of recommendation for any further action. It is a commission looking into history.
 
Catholic_farmer said:
The article says that there were women deacons in the early Church. Does anyone know anything about this?
Click to expand...
A number of women served as leaders of the house churches that sprang up in the cities of the Roman Empire—the list includes Priscilla, Chloe, Lydia, Apphia, Nympha, the mother of John Mark, and possibly the “elect lady” of John’s second epistle.

In the 2nd century, Clement of Alexandria wrote that the apostles were accompanied on their missionary journeys by women who were not marriage partners, but colleagues, “that they might be their fellowministers in dealing with housewives. It was through them that the Lord’s teaching penetrated also the women’s quarters without any scandal being aroused. We also know the directions about women deacons which are given by the noble Paul in his letter to Timothy."

Paul also mentions Phoebe in Romans 16, “a deacon of the church at Cenchreae.” He calls her a prostatis or overseer. This term in its masculine form, prostates, was used later by the Apostolic Fathers to designate the one presiding over the Eucharist.
 
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