The Vatican publishes report that rules out Women’s Ordination

Cardinal Petrocchi presented a report on the female diaconate at the Vatican. Photo: Vatican News

The Vatican has released the report of the Commission for the Study of the Female Diaconate, prepared under the direction of Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi and submitted to Pope Leo XIV. This was reported by Vatican News.

The document notes that the commission had previously concluded that although the Church at various points in history acknowledged the existence of deaconesses, the meaning of that title was far from uniform. According to the report, the female diaconate was never understood as equivalent to the male diaconate, which is tied to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The commission stresses that the issue requires further investigation not only on historical grounds but also in the doctrinal realm.

One of the key points of the report is the assertion that the ministry of deaconesses constituted a unique form of service that was not linked to apostolic succession. The members of the commission also unanimously supported continuing research to help the Roman Catholic Church reflect on the place of women in pastoral ministry without compromising doctrinal foundations. At the same time, many theologians expressed themselves in favor of retaining the traditional understanding of the priesthood as an exclusively male vocation.

It is reported that at the most recent session of the Commission for the Study of the Female Diaconate, one viewpoint was expressed as follows: “The male sex of Christ and, consequently, the male sex of those who receive Holy Orders, is not incidental but constitutes an essential aspect of sacramental identity, preserving the divine order of salvation in Christ. Altering this reality would not be a mere adjustment of ministry, but the collapse of salvation’s meaning as a nuptial covenant.” Five members of the commission voted in favor of this formula, and five against.

Cardinal Petrocchi recommends a cautious approach for the pontiff, one rooted in sound doctrinal discernment and in a deeper study of the theology of the diaconate itself. According to him, the Roman Catholic Church at present does not possess the necessary resources to make a well-grounded decision in favor of a sacramental female diaconate. For now, the safest path lies in strengthening lay ministry and renewing the Church’s understanding of the diaconate.

As the UOJ reported, the RCC recently published its document on marriage, “One Flesh.”

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