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– During a meeting with an international group of nuns on Thursday, Pope Francis casually mentioned that he's open to making the biggest change to women's role in the Catholic Church in more than 1,000 years. When one of the sisters asked about the possibility of a commission to look into having women serve as deacons, the pontiff said it was a good idea and it would be useful for him to have the point clarified, the New York Times reports. In the church, deacons are clergy who are allowed to preach and carry out weddings and baptisms, the Washington Post reports. They were important in the early centuries of the church but the role gradually withered from around AD500 onward, though the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s brought back permanent deacons and made the role available to both married and single men. "Many experts believe that women should also be able to serve in this role, since there is ample evidence of female deacons in the first centuries, including one named Phoebe who is cited by Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans," the Vatican press office explained after Francis made his remarks. The Wall Street Journal notes that rising numbers of deacons have helped the church cope with a shortage of priests. Women active in the church in the US say they're thrilled by the apparent shift in policy, which many of them did not expect to see in their lifetimes. "It's very hopeful," Catholic scholar Phyllis Zagano tells the National Catholic Reporter. "It displays Francis' openness to scholarship, to history, and, most importantly, to the needs of the church." (Last month, Francis released a landmark document on marriage, divorce, sex, and family life.)
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 ROME — Pope Francis said Thursday that he would set up a commission to study whether women could serve as deacons in the Roman Catholic Church, a move hailed by women who have campaigned for years for a more prominent role in the church. 
  
 His remarks reveal an openness to re-examining the church’s long-held insistence on an all-male clergy. Yet the idea will face stiff resistance from those who believe that it is the first step toward ordaining female priests, something that recent popes have ruled out, citing church doctrine. 
  
 The pope’s comments were made during an assembly of leaders of women’s religious orders and were consistent with his style: a seemingly off-the-cuff remark that opened a broad horizon of possibilities. 
  
 It came during a question-and-answer session in which he assured the nearly 900 sisters in the room that he wanted to “increase the number of women in decision-making positions in the church.” 
  
 One woman asked about the possibility of an official commission to study the issue. His response was, in essence, “Why not?” 
  
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 “Constituting an official commission that might study the question?” Francis mused, according to The National Catholic Reporter. “I believe yes. It would do good for the church to clarify this point. I am in agreement.” 
  
 “I accept,” the pope said later. “It seems useful to me to have a commission that would clarify this well.” 
  
 The comments may prove to be more of a change in tone than a change in church practice, similar to his remark “Who am I to judge?” made in response to a question about gays during a midflight news conference in 2013. 
  
 Deacons are ordained ministers in the Catholic Church, and in many parishes they handle many of the same tasks that priests do. They are permitted to preach at Mass, perform baptisms, witness marriages and conduct funeral services. Deacons currently must be men over the age of 35, and they may be married (though if a deacon’s wife dies, he is expected to remain celibate). 
  
 Facing a shortage of priests, the church in the United States has for decades been actively encouraging men to become deacons to fill the gaps. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says there are now more than 13,000 men serving in what is called the “permanent diaconate.” 
  
 Creating a Vatican commission is no guarantee of change. Such commissions can take years to reach conclusions and are only advisory. Pope Paul VI rejected the majority report of a Vatican commission in 1966 that, after three years of study, essentially recommended that the church lift its ban on artificial birth control. 
  
 It is far from clear that Francis favors female deacons or that a commission he appointed would even recommend this change. 
  
 Some Catholic women cite research showing that women served as deacons in the church’s early history. But the pope asked some skeptical questions at the assembly about whether the responsibilities of deaconesses in the early church were more circumscribed than those of male deacons. 
  
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 Francis said his first step would be to consult with the church’s doctrinal office “to tell me if there are studies on this.” The doctrinal office is led by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, a German theologian who has long maintained that ordaining women in any capacity is impermissible. 
  
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 Lucetta Scaraffia, the co-editor of a monthly magazine on women and the church distributed with the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said that although the pope’s words were encouraging, they did not necessarily reflect the views of most bishops. 
  
 “I doubt much will come of it,” Ms. Scaraffia said. “I think the pope would like to open discussion, but there is strong resistance” to any ordination of women. 
  
 Still, news of Francis’ remark delivered a jolt of excitement to Catholics who have questioned church doctrine that women cannot be ordained because the disciples of Jesus were all male. 
  
 “I’m ecstatic,” said Sister Christine Schenck, who served for years as executive director of FutureChurch, an organization based in Cleveland that advocates greater roles for laypeople and women in the church. “I was just in prayer thanking God.” 
  
 She said about 30,000 women already served in American parishes as “lay ecclesial ministers,” taking on many pastoral and administrative functions. Many of them have advanced degrees in theology and ministry. They are not, however, allowed to deliver the homily at Mass, and some are unsung and invisible in their parishes. 
  
 “The vast majority of all these lay ministers in the United States could be ordained deacons tomorrow. They’ve met all the qualifications,” Sister Schenck said. “Being ordained as deacons would allow them to preach at Sunday Mass. It also would validate their ministry.” 
  
 The Women’s Ordination Conference, an American organization that supports the idea of female deacons, priests and bishops, said in a statement, “Opening a commission to study the diaconate for women would be a great step for the Vatican in recognizing its own history.” 
  
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 That history, though, is a matter of some debate. Some scholars say there is biblical evidence that women served as deacons alongside men, but others say the women’s functions were more limited. 
  
 In 1995, an American group of canon law experts said that ordaining women as deacons in the church would be in keeping with Catholic theology and past practice, though the Vatican never acted on that recommendation. The International Theological Commission, an advisory body to the Vatican’s doctrinal office, considered female deacons in 2002, but it reached rather muddy conclusions. 
  
 Phyllis Zagano, an advocate of women’s ordination and editor of the book “Women Deacons? Essays With Answers,” said that until about the 12th century, women were ordained as deacons and considered clergy, but their roles varied among countries and dioceses. 
  
 “The real problem is that they can’t figure out why a woman can be ordained a deacon but not a priest,” Ms. Zagano said. 
  
 Francis has been urged to give women a greater role in the church, where few women hold top positions in the Curia, the Vatican’s administrative arm. He has repeatedly acknowledged this shortcoming, but so far, he has not really addressed it. 
  
 At the session with the female superiors general on Thursday, Francis admitted that the integration of women into the life of the church had been “very weak” and said, “We must go forward.” ||||| Editor's note: This story was updated May 13, 2016, at 12:10 p.m. CT to include additional reactions. 
  
 Pope Francis' announcement Thursday to create a commission to examine the history of female deacons in the Catholic church has left many longtime advocates with a sense of hope, joy and drive moving forward in their efforts to enhance female leadership in the church. 
  
 "I am standing on my head, I am happy, I am crying," Deborah Rose-Milavec, executive director of FutureChurch, told NCR in a phone interview Thursday morning. "It is just a historic breakthrough of enormous proportion and the implications are far-reaching, as far as what women will be able to take on in the church." 
  
 Rose-Milavec said while the pope is likely to run into opposition from members of the Roman Curia and some theologian and scripture scholars, she does not believe it will deter him. "I don't have any doubts about it. ... No concerns," she said of the opposition. "The UISG spoke very directly about this to him, and I think when he makes a promise to them in that way, it's not going to go away." 
  
 Canadian Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, who mentioned the subject during his three-minute intervention at the Synod of Bishops on the family in October, said he was surprised by the news. 
  
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 "Since the synod members themselves and the pope in his letter didn't refer to the role of women in the church very clearly, I was hoping it was a seed planted in the ground and praying it would bear fruit at one point, but I didn't know if it would," he said. 
  
 Durocher said a number of bishops he spoke with at the synod were favorable of studying the idea. 
  
 "I'm happy that the pope is seeing it's appropriate to move this way to study this issue more completely," Durocher said. "I certainly believe it needs to be studied in the church and I look forward to seeing how he will set up this commission and how it will be described and who's part of it and the fruit of its work." 
  
 Phyllis Zagano, an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar and lecturer on contemporary spirituality and women's issues in the church, said the movement of the Spirit -- between the Ascension and Pentecost -- is bringing the issue to the surface. 
  
 "It's very hopeful," she told NCR. "It displays Francis' openness to scholarship, to history and, most importantly, to the needs of the church." 
  
 Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame since 2012, said whether women become deacons is not the most important issue, but rather that the conversation came from a meeting with women. 
  
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 "The church talks an awful lot about women, but it doesn't talk a lot with women," she said. "They asked a question, and he gave an answer." 
  
 This is not the first time the issue has been studied, according to Zagano, who mentioned it was discussed between 1992 and 2002 -- but with no resolution. "The only thing that came about was an inconclusive document that said it's up to the ministry of the church to decide on this matter." The church is finding its way into the 21st century, she added. 
  
 History alone will not answer the question of whether the Catholic Church should ordain female deacons, according to historian Gary Macy. 
  
 “You have to be very careful when you look at history,” said Macy of the pope’s announcement. “They didn’t do anything in the past the same way as now. It’s just a different setup.” 
  
 Macy, professor of theology at Santa Clara University in California, said history proves that there were female deacons -- and in some places in the world -- they were ordained the same way as men. 
  
 “Other times [traditions] were different, but not so different that it would make [women] a minor order or anything like that,” he said. 
  
 If the church would eventually allow female deacons, said Macy, the vast majority of historical evidence reveals that women should be ordained the same way as men. 
  
 Natalie Terry, 27, director of the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center and children's faith formation at St. Agnes Catholic Church in San Francisco, said she has been waiting for the news since she was a teen. 
  
 "As someone who's found her call, I wasn't sure there would even be a day the pope would call a commission that would happen in my lifetime," she told NCR in a phone interview. 
  
 Terry, who wants to become a deacon, called the announcement an acknowledgement "that women have a vocation." "The fact that the pope and the structural church can acknowledge this is incredibly meaningful, and will mean a dynamic shift will happen in the church now because this commission has been called," she said. 
  
 No matter how the details play out, Terry said she believes the commission will create a space for dialogue that includes women. 
  
 Connie Walsh, 66, a nurse who felt called to the diaconate in her late 30s, said she was still digesting the news. "I feel like I've just jumped out of my socks," she told NCR. 
  
 "I know what it's like to be among women in leadership in the church," she said. "They have worked so long and they are so amazing and so tenacious, who could possibly say no? He [Francis] could have, but he didn't." 
  
 Walsh said while she is elated by the news, she is also mindful that big changes take time. 
  
 "Will it happen in my lifetime? I don't know that," she said. "I never thought I would get this kind of a phone call, ever in my lifetime." 
  
 Others, however, cautioned not to overinterpret the meaning of the announcement. 
  
 Cummings, for example, said she was "cautiously" excited by the news. She said the announcement has opened the door for discussion, "maybe a crack." 
  
 "Somehow equating this as an announcement that women will be ordained as deacons," is misconstruing the message, she said. "Lots of people have studied this question already. ... People are studying it all the time." 
  
 William Ditewig, a deacon of the Washington archdiocese and on the theology faculty at Santa Clara University said the public should keep a balanced perspective on the news. 
  
 "Certainly Francis wants to see an increased role for women, but does that involve ordination?" 
  
 Ditewig said it is not a question of women -- but a fundamental theology of the diaconate. This commission, he added, will serve to increase the development of the theology of the diaconate. 
  
 The International Theological Commission of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith discussed women deacons at a meeting in January 2002. The commission seemed to leave open the question of women deacons, saying that “in light of present historical-theological research,” there is a need for “discernment about what the Lord has established for the church.” 
  
 At that time, however, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who is now a cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, but was then a theologian at Munich University and a member of the commission, dismissed the restoration of women deacons. 
  
 “What women accomplish today as professors of religion, professors of theology, pastoral agents, and also in unremunerated activities in the communities goes far beyond what the deaconesses of the early Church did,” Muller told Zenit news agency in 2002. 
  
 “The re-establishment of the former ministry of the deaconesses would only be an amusing anachronism,” he said. 
  
 In the meantime, women deacon advocates will continue their work within the Catholic church. 
  
 FutureChurch will hold a female deacon retreat Sept. 14-16 in Cleveland, Ohio, for "women who are discerning or feel called," said Rose-Milavec. The conference will include sessions on the history of female deacons in the church and a handful of speakers including Zagano. 
  
 [Traci Badalucco and Elizabeth A. Elliott are NCR Bertelsen interns.] ||||| ROME—Pope Francis said the Vatican would study the possibility of ordaining Catholic women as deacons, as part of the church’s efforts to give a greater leadership role to women. 
  
 During a meeting Thursday with leaders of women’s religious orders, the pope—who has frequently lauded the role women play in the church—was asked why the role of permanent deacon was limited to men. The pontiff responded that the Vatican would investigate the possibility of admitting women to the role, without offering further details. 
  
 ... |||||  
  
 Nuns sing as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis during Holy Year activities in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on April 24. (Andrew Medichini/AP) 
  
 Pope Francis on Thursday opened the door to the possibility of ordained female deacons for the first time in centuries, potentially signaling a historic shift for the role of women in the male-dominated ministry of the Roman Catholic Church. 
  
 The pope is on record as opposing female priests. But, in off-the-cuff comments to an international conference of nuns in Vatican City, he said he supports the creation of a commission to examine whether women should be “reinstated” as deacons. 
  
 He called for such a commission to review the history and scope of female deacons who served the church in ancient times. But while suggesting he would welcome a fresh debate, Francis stopped short of saying whether he would ultimately support the readmission of women as deacons, who are vested with a range of priest-like powers including baptism, officiating at weddings, distributing Holy Communion and preaching at Mass. 
  
 [Which other religions have female clergy?] 
  
 The pope’s comments came as part of a question-and-answer session during a gathering of the International Union of Superiors General, a 500,000-member global nuns group. 
  
 “What impedes the church from including women among permanent deacons, just as it happened in the early church?” the pope was asked, according to a transcript by the National Catholic Reporter. “Why not construct a commission to study the issue?” 
  
 The pope told the sisters that, to his knowledge, the women’s role in history “was a bit obscure.” It was not clear, he said, if they were “ordained” — or officially appointed. Creating a commission to study the question “would do good for the church to clarify this point. I am in agreement.” 
  
 [The Catholic Church puts one foot forward on the path to including women] 
  
 The pontiff’s remarks were received enthusiastically. The nuns group “is very happy for the welcoming conversation with the pope. It was very friendly, familiar. It was a real dialogue,” said spokeswoman Patrizia Morgante. 
  
 Almost immediately, Catholic experts from all points along the ideological spectrum began debating the significance of the comments. 
  
 “I can’t underscore enough how groundbreaking this is for the Church,” said Boston College theologian James Bretzke. “If women can be ordained as deacons, then this is going to weaken — not destroy — but weaken significantly the argument that women absolutely are incapable of being ordained as priests. So this is opening more than a crack in the door.” 
  
 Yet some liberal female theologians were quick to focus on the ambiguity of the pope’s words. A commission that primarily studied the historical role of women as deacons in centuries past, they warned, could yet mean a long road ahead before women could actually be ordained as deacons today. 
  
 “The issue of female deacons has already been studied in depth,” said Marinella Perroni, a Rome-based theologian. “I hope we don’t start from scratch now.” 
  
 [Inside the Catholic nursing home at the center of a contentious Supreme Court case] 
  
 And Susan Selner-Wright, a conservative philosophy professor at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, said that liberals hoping that the pope’s commission would lead to the ordination of women as deacons or priests “will be disappointed.” 
  
 “That’s not up to the Church to change,” Selner-Wright said. “It’s up to Jesus. . . . If he had wanted to recruit women to be among the apostles, he would have done it. He just didn’t.” 
  
 However, she said that she could conceive of a revised role in which deacons, both male and female, dedicate themselves to service but are not ordained. “There would be really a seismic shift in the understanding of the diaconate and the understanding of deacons. And maybe that would be a good thing,” she said. 
  
 The pope’s comments came during a two-week period that saw women’s issues raised more than usual within the male-dominated walls of Vatican City. 
  
 One week ago, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and a close confidant of the pope, said that theoretically, there is no reason why a woman could not one day fill his job. 
  
 Parolin — often viewed as the most powerful figure in Vatican City after the pope — made that statement as the Vatican unveiled an overhaul of a section for women in its official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. 
  
 Francis has spoken out against gender inequality in other veins, for instance calling the pay gap between men and women who do the same job “pure scandal.” In an institution that has been occasionally uncomfortable in addressing the question of women’s role in the church head-on, he has also seemed to facilitate a broader debate. Last year, for example, the Vatican hosted a number of conferences focused on women, including one titled “Women’s Cultures: Equality and Difference.” 
  
 [Could Pope Francis be a feminist pope?] 
  
 But while Francis had elaborated on the need for a greater role for women in the church, he has categorically ruled out the notion of ordaining female priests. As recently as September, he told reporters on a flight back to Rome after his historic visit to the United States that the ordination of women “cannot be done.” 
  
 “Pope St. John Paul II after long, long intense discussions, long reflection said so clearly,” the pope said. “Not because women don’t have the capacity. Look, in the Church, women are more important than men because the church is a woman. It is “la” church, not “il” church. The Church is the bride of Jesus Christ.” 
  
 Church leaders have been talking about the questions surrounding female deacons for years. A 2002 Vatican commission called for a “ministry of discernment” within the church to sort out what female deacons did in the past and how that relates to the present. 
  
 The Vatican’s communications office expanded on the historic role of deacon in the church and the pope’s remarks in a later email. 
  
 Until the 5th century, it noted, both male and female deacons flourished in the Western Church, but the role of deacon declined over the next several centuries, surviving only as an intermediate stage for male candidates preparing for priestly ordination. Following the Second Vatican Council, the Church restored the role of permanent deacon, which is open to single and married men. 
  
 “Many experts believe that women should also be able to serve in this role, since there is ample evidence of female deacons in the first centuries, including one named Phoebe who is cited by Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans,” said an email from English-language press officer the Rev. Thomas Rosica. Francis “said understanding about their role in the early Church remained unclear and agreed it would be useful to set up a commission to study the question.” 
  
 However, the report also noted that when the pope was asked about women preaching homilies during Mass — which deacons do, as do priests — Francis “said it’s important to distinguish” between different types of speaking, and that speaking during Mass connects the role of priest to the person of Jesus, who was male. 
  
 [Pope Francis has an unusually positive view of sex] 
  
 Sister Simone Campbell, a prominent progressive U.S. nun who leads the domestic social justice lobbying firm NETWORK, said she views Francis as “kind of caught” between coming from a culture dominated by images of men as leaders and his own inclinations to create strong bonds with women and view them as leaders, too. 
  
 Despite references in the New Testament and in early church art to women’s leadership, “there are 1,000 years of saying women’s leadership never happened,” Campbell said. “Part of it is lifting up scriptural references that have been glossed over and moving the church along to accept it. You know how it is for human beings — we see what we expect and don’t see what we don’t want to see. I think that’s what’s opening up . . . the effort to look at the deeper truth.” 
  
 Stefano Pitrelli in Rome contributed to this report. 
  
  
  
 This post has been updated. 
  
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 At long last, many divorced and remarried Catholics say they no longer feel like outcasts 
  
 The key points you should read in Pope Francis’s major teaching on the family 
  
 The Archdiocese of Baltimore has posted a list of 71 priests accused of sexually abusing children ||||| (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis led an in-depth discussion on Thursday about the role of women in the Church, saying he wants to set up a commission to study the possibility of reinstating female deacons. His conversation was part of a question and answer session with some 900 heads of female religious orders and congregations who form part of the International Union of Superiors General, or UISG. 
  
 Philippa Hitchen reports: 
  
 Pope Francis spoke off the cuff during his closed door encounter with the sisters, who are currently holding their General Assembly in Rome this week, marking the 50th anniversary of the foundation of their organisation. 
  
 During the hour and a half long conversation about the mission and ministry of women in religious life, the Pope responded to several delicate questions, including one about the history of female deacons. He said understanding about their role in the early Church remained unclear and agreed it would be useful to set up a commission to study the question. 
  
 Women deacons in the early Church 
  
 Up to the 5th century, the Diaconate flourished in the western Church, but in the following centuries it experienced a slow decline, surviving only as an intermediate stage for candidates preparing for priestly ordination. Following the Second Vatican Council, the Church restored the role of permanent deacon, which is open to single and married men. Many experts believe that women should also be able to serve in this role, since there is ample evidence of female deacons in the first centuries, including one named Phoebe who is cited by St Paul in his letter to the Romans. 
  
 More women in leadership positions 
  
 Pope Francis reiterated that he wants to see an increase in the number of women in decision-making positions in the Church, saying women’s perspectives are very important for both the elaboration and the carrying out of such decisions. 
  
 Asked about the possibility of women preaching the homilies during Mass, the Pope said it’s important to distinguish between other types of liturgies, where the sermon can be preached by consecrated or lay women, and the Mass, where the homily is connected to the role of the priest serving “in persona Christi”. 
  
 Changes to Canon Law 
  
 Questioned about the prospect of changes to Canon Law which would facilitate the reform process being undertaken by many women’s congregations, the Pope said such changes could be possible, providing they were the result of a process of discernment by the competent authorities. 
  
 Service not servitude 
  
 Finally Pope Francis spoke about the vital work of the sisters who care for the poor and marginalized. He said this is a vocation of service to the Church and must never be confused with servitude, which is sometimes still asked of them. They should not fear being labelled as ‘activists’, in their service to the needy, he said, but they should also find time for rest and for listening to older or sick members of their communities who are a precious source of wisdom and memory. |||||
Skriv en artikel baserad på denna sammanfattning: – Under ett möte med en internationell grupp nunnor på torsdag nämnde påven Francis av en slump att han är öppen för att göra den största förändringen av kvinnors roll i katolska kyrkan på mer än 1000 år. När en av systrarna frågade om möjligheten att få en kommission att undersöka om kvinnor tjänar som diakoner, sade påven att det var en bra idé och det skulle vara bra för honom att få saken klarlagd, rapporterar New York Times. I kyrkan är diakoner präster som får predika och genomföra bröllop och dop, rapporterar Washington Post. De var viktiga under kyrkans tidiga århundraden men rollen vissnade gradvis från omkring år 500 och framåt, även om Andra Vatikankonciliet på 1960-talet förde tillbaka permanenta diakoner och gjorde rollen tillgänglig för både gifta och ogifta män. "Många experter anser att kvinnor också bör kunna tjänstgöra i denna roll, eftersom det finns gott om bevis på kvinnliga diakoner under de första århundradena, inklusive en som heter Phoebe som citeras av Saint Paul i hans brev till romarna," Vatikanpresskontoret förklarade efter Franciskus gjorde sina kommentarer. Wall Street Journal konstaterar att allt fler diakoner har hjälpt kyrkan att klara av en brist på präster. Kvinnor som är aktiva i kyrkan i USA säger att de är hänförda över den uppenbara förändringen i politiken, som många av dem inte förväntade sig att se i sina livstider. "Det är mycket hoppfullt", berättar den katolske forskaren Phyllis Zagano för National Catholic Reporter. "Den visar Franciskus öppenhet för stipendium, för historien och, viktigast av allt, för kyrkans behov." (Förra månaden släppte Francis ett landmärke om äktenskap, skilsmässa, sex och familjeliv.)
Write an article based on this summary: – During a meeting with an international group of nuns on Thursday, Pope Francis accidentally mentioned that he is open to making the biggest change in the role of women in the Catholic Church in more than 1000 years. When one of the sisters asked about the possibility of getting a commission to examine whether women serve as deacons, the pope said that it was a good idea and it would be good for him to have the matter clarified, reports the New York Times. In the church, deacons are priests who may preach and carry out weddings and baptisms, reports the Washington Post. They were important in the early centuries of the church but the role gradually withered from about the year 500 onwards, although in the 1960s the Second Vatican Council brought back permanent deacons and made the role available to both married and unmarried men. "Many experts believe women should also be able to serve in this role, because there is ample evidence of female deacons in the first centuries, including one named Phoebe as quoted by Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans," the Vatican Press Office explained after Francis made his comments. The Wall Street Journal notes that increasing numbers of deacons have helped the church cope with a shortage of priests. Women who are active in the church in the United States say they are thrilled by the apparent change in politics, which many of them did not expect to see in their lifetimes. "It's very hopeful," Catholic scholar Phyllis Zagano tells the National Catholic Reporter. "It shows Francis' openness to scholarship, to history and, most importantly, to the needs of the church." (Last month Francis released a landmark on marriage, divorce, sex, and family life.)
Foto ROME — Påven Franciskus sade på torsdagen att han skulle tillsätta en kommission för att studera om kvinnor kunde tjäna som diakoner i romersk - katolska kyrkan, ett drag som hyllades av kvinnor som i åratal har kämpat för en mer framträdande roll i kyrkan. Hans kommentarer avslöjar en öppenhet för att åter undersöka kyrkans länge hållna insisterande på ett helt manligt prästerskap. Men tanken kommer att möta hårt motstånd från dem som tror att det är det första steget mot att ordinera kvinnliga präster, något som påvar nyligen har uteslutit, med hänvisning till kyrkans lära. Påvens kommentarer framfördes under en sammankomst av ledare för kvinnors religiösa ordnar och var förenliga med hans stil: en till synes utanför bojorna anmärkning som öppnade en bred horisont av möjligheter. Det kom under en frågestund där han försäkrade de närmare 900 systrarna i rummet att han ville "öka antalet kvinnor i beslutande ställningar i kyrkan". En kvinna frågade om möjligheten av en officiell kommission för att studera frågan. Hans svar var, i huvudsak, “Varför inte?” Advertisement Fortsätt läsa huvudberättelsen “Att inrätta en officiell kommission som kan studera frågan?” Francis muterade, enligt The National Catholic Reporter. — Jag tror ja. Det vore bra om kyrkan klargjorde detta. Jag är överens.” ”Jag accepterar”, sade påven senare. “Det verkar bra för mig att ha en kommission som skulle klargöra detta väl.” Kommentarerna kan visa sig vara mer en förändring i tonen än en förändring i kyrkan praxis, liknande hans anmärkning “Vem är jag att döma?” som gjordes som svar på en fråga om homosexuella under en midflight nyhetskonferens 2013. Diakoner är prästvigda präster i katolska kyrkan, och i många församlingar sköter de många av samma uppgifter som präster gör. De får lov att predika vid mässan, förrätta dop, vittna om äktenskap och förrätta begravningsgudstjänster. Diakoner måste för närvarande vara män över 35 år, och de kan vara gifta (om en diakons hustru dör, förväntas han dock förbli celibat). Kyrkan i Förenta staterna har i flera årtionden, trots att det råder brist på präster, aktivt uppmuntrat män att bli diakoner för att fylla luckorna. Förenta Staternas konferens av katolska biskopar säger att det nu finns mer än 13.000 män som tjänar i vad som kallas det "permanenta diakonatet". Att skapa en Vatikankommission är ingen garanti för förändring. Sådana kommissioner kan ta flera år att komma fram till slutsatser och är endast rådgivande. Påven Paulus VI avvisade majoritetsrapporten från en Vatikankommission 1966 som efter tre års studier i huvudsak rekommenderade kyrkan att häva sitt förbud mot artificiell födelsekontroll. Det är långt ifrån klart att Franciskus gynnar kvinnliga diakoner eller att en kommission han tillsatte till och med skulle rekommendera denna förändring. En del katolska kvinnor citerar forskning som visar att kvinnor tjänade som diakoner i kyrkans tidiga historia. Men påven ställde några skeptiska frågor vid sammankomsten om diakonessornas ansvar i den tidiga kyrkan var mer begränsat än manliga diakoners. Dagens Rubriker: European Morning Få nyheter och analyser från Europa och runt om i världen som levereras till din inkorg varje dag på den europeiska morgonen. Franciskus sade att hans första steg skulle vara att rådfråga kyrkans läroämbete "för att tala om för mig om det finns studier om detta". Läroämbetet leds av kardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, en tysk teolog som länge har hävdat att ordination av kvinnor i någon egenskap är otillåtligt. Annons Fortsätt läsa huvudberättelsen Lucetta Scaraffia, medredaktör för en månatlig tidskrift om kvinnor och kyrkan som distribuerades med Vatikanens tidning, L’Osservatore Romano, sade att även om påvens ord var uppmuntrande, återspeglade de inte nödvändigtvis de flesta biskopars åsikter. — Jag tvivlar på mycket, att det kommer att bli av det, sade miss Scaraffia. “Jag tror att påven skulle vilja inleda en diskussion, men det finns ett starkt motstånd” mot varje prästvigning av kvinnor. Men nyheten om Franciskus ’ uttalande gav ändå katoliker som har ifrågasatt kyrkans lära att kvinnor inte kan ordineras därför att Jesu lärjungar alla var män. — Jag är extatisk, sade syster Christine Schenck, som i åratal tjänstgjorde som verkställande direktör för FutureChurch, en organisation baserad i Cleveland som förespråkar större roller för lekmän och kvinnor i kyrkan. “Jag var bara i bön tacka Gud.” Hon sade cirka 30 000 kvinnor redan tjänstgjort i amerikanska församlingar som “lägga kyrkliga ministrar,” ta på sig många pastorala och administrativa funktioner. Många av dem har avancerade examina i teologi och tjänst. De får dock inte leverera homligt vid mässan, och några är osjungna och osynliga i sina församlingar. – De allra flesta av alla dessa lekmannaministrar i USA kunde ordineras diakoner i morgon. De har uppfyllt alla kvalifikationer,” Syster Schenck sade. — Att vara ordinerad som diakoner skulle tillåta dem att predika vid söndagsmässan. Det skulle också validera deras ministerium.” Women’s Ordination Conference, en amerikansk organisation som stöder idén om kvinnliga diakoner, präster och biskopar, sade i ett uttalande, “Att öppna en kommission för att studera diakonatet för kvinnor skulle vara ett stort steg för Vatikanen att erkänna sin egen historia.” Annons Fortsätt läsa huvudberättelsen Att historien, dock, är en fråga om en viss debatt. Vissa forskare säger att det finns bibliska bevis för att kvinnor tjänade som diakoner vid sidan av män, men andra säger att kvinnornas funktioner var mer begränsade. År 1995 sade en amerikansk grupp av experter på kanonrätt att det skulle vara i överensstämmelse med katolsk teologi och tidigare praxis att ordinera kvinnor som diakoner i kyrkan, även om Vatikanen aldrig handlade efter den rekommendationen. Internationella teologiska kommissionen, ett rådgivande organ till Vatikanens lärokontor, betraktade kvinnliga diakoner år 2002, men den kom fram till ganska leriga slutsatser. Phyllis Zagano, en förespråkare för kvinnlig prästvigning och redaktör för boken ” Kvinnornas diakoner? Essays With Answers, sade att fram till omkring 1100-talet var kvinnor prästvigda som diakoner och betraktades som präster, men deras roller varierade mellan länder och stift. — Det verkliga problemet är, att de inte kunna räkna ut varför en kvinna kan prästvigas till diakon men icke till präst, sade ms Zagano. Franciskus har uppmanats att ge kvinnor en större roll i kyrkan, där få kvinnor innehar toppositioner i kurian, Vatikanens administrativa arm. Han har upprepade gånger erkänt denna brist, men hittills har han inte riktigt tagit itu med den. Vid sessionen med de kvinnliga överordnade general på torsdag, Francis erkände att integreringen av kvinnor i livet i kyrkan hade varit “mycket svag” och sade, “Vi måste gå framåt.” <unk><unk> Redaktörens anmärkning: Denna berättelse uppdaterades 13 maj 2016, klockan 12:10 CT för att inkludera ytterligare reaktioner. Påven Franciskus tillkännagivande torsdag att skapa en kommission för att undersöka historien om kvinnliga diakoner i den katolska kyrkan har lämnat många länge förespråkare med en känsla av hopp, glädje och driva framåt i sina ansträngningar att förbättra kvinnligt ledarskap i kyrkan. "Jag står på huvudet, jag är glad, jag gråter", Deborah Rose-Milavec, verkställande direktör för FutureChurch, berättade NCR i en telefonintervju torsdag morgon. "Det är bara ett historiskt genombrott av enorma proportioner och konsekvenserna är långtgående, så långt som vad kvinnor kommer att kunna ta sig an i kyrkan." Rose-Milavec sade medan påven sannolikt kommer att stöta på motstånd från medlemmar av den romerska kurian och några teolog och skriftlärda, tror hon inte att det kommer att avskräcka honom. "Jag tvivlar inte på det. ... Ingen oro", sade hon om oppositionen. "UISG talade mycket direkt om detta för honom, och jag tror att när han ger dem ett löfte på det sättet, så kommer det inte att försvinna." Den kanadensiske ärkebiskopen Paul-André Durocher, som nämnde ämnet under sitt tre minuter långa ingripande vid biskopssynoden om familjen i oktober, sade sig vara förvånad över nyheten. Få NCR levererat till din inkorg. Anmäl dig till gratis nyhetsbrev. "Eftersom synodmedlemmarna själva och påven i sitt brev inte hänvisade till kvinnans roll i kyrkan särskilt tydligt, hoppades jag att det var ett frö som planterades i marken och bad att det skulle bära frukt vid ett tillfälle, men jag visste inte om det skulle göra det", sade han. Durocher sade att ett antal biskopar han talade med vid synoden var gynnsamma för att studera idén. "Jag är glad att påven ser att det är lämpligt att flytta den här vägen för att studera denna fråga mer fullständigt", sade Durocher. "Jag tror verkligen att det behöver studeras i kyrkan och jag ser fram emot att se hur han kommer att inrätta denna kommission och hur den kommer att beskrivas och vem som är en del av den och frukten av dess arbete." Phyllis Zagano, en internationellt uppmärksammad katolsk lärd och föreläsare i samtida andlighet och kvinnofrågor i kyrkan, sade att Andens rörelse -- mellan Upplyftningen och pingsten -- för upp frågan till ytan. "Det är väldigt hoppfullt", sa hon till NCR. "Den visar Franciskus öppenhet för stipendium, för historien och, viktigast av allt, för kyrkans behov." Kathleen Sprows Cummings, chef för Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism vid University of Notre Dame sedan 2012, sade om kvinnor blir diakoner inte är den viktigaste frågan, utan snarare att samtalet kom från ett möte med kvinnor. Annons "Kyrkan talar hemskt mycket om kvinnor, men det pratar inte så mycket med kvinnor", sade hon. »De ställde en fråga, och han gav ett svar.» Detta är inte första gången frågan har studerats, enligt Zagano, som nämnde att den diskuterades mellan 1992 och 2002 -- men utan någon lösning. "Det enda som kom till stånd var ett ofullständigt dokument som sa att det är kyrkans uppgift att besluta i denna fråga." Kyrkan håller på att finna sin väg in på 2000-talet, tillade hon. Enbart historien kommer inte att besvara frågan om katolska kyrkan bör ordinera kvinnliga diakoner, enligt historikern Gary Macy. — Man måste vara mycket försiktig, när man ser på historien, sade Macy av påvens tillkännagivande. — De gjorde ingenting förr på samma sätt som nu. Det är bara en annan uppställning.” Macy, professor i teologi vid Santa Clara University i Kalifornien, sade historien bevisar att det fanns kvinnliga diakoner -- och på vissa platser i världen -- de prästvigdes på samma sätt som män. — Andra gånger [traditioner] voro annorlunda, men icke så olika, att det skulle göra [kvinnor] till en mindre ordning eller något dylikt, sade han. Om kyrkan så småningom skulle tillåta kvinnliga diakoner, sade Macy, avslöjar de allra flesta historiska bevis att kvinnor bör prästvigas på samma sätt som män. Natalie Terry, 27, chef för Ignatian Spiritual Life Center och barn trosbildning i St Agnes Catholic Church i San Francisco, sade att hon har väntat på nyheterna sedan hon var tonåring. "Som någon som har hittat hennes samtal, var jag inte säker på att det ens skulle finnas en dag som påven skulle kalla en kommission som skulle hända under min livstid," berättade hon NCR i en telefonintervju. Terry, som vill bli diakon, kallade tillkännagivandet ett erkännande "att kvinnor har ett kall." "Det faktum att påven och den strukturella kyrkan kan erkänna detta är otroligt meningsfullt, och kommer att innebära en dynamisk förändring kommer att ske i kyrkan nu eftersom denna kommission har kallats," sade hon. Oavsett hur detaljerna går till sa Terry att hon tror att kommissionen kommer att skapa ett utrymme för dialog som inkluderar kvinnor. Connie Walsh, 66, en sjuksköterska som kände sig kallad till diakonatet i 30-årsåldern, sade att hon fortfarande smälte nyheten. "Det känns som om jag just hoppat ur strumporna", sa hon till NCR. "Jag vet hur det är att vara bland kvinnor i ledarskap i kyrkan", sade hon. »De ha arbetat så länge och de äro så fantastiska och så ihärdiga, vem skulle möjligen kunna säga nej? Han [Francis] kunde ha gjort det, men det gjorde han inte." Walsh sade medan hon är upprymd av nyheterna, hon är också medveten om att stora förändringar tar tid. "Kommer det att hända i min livstid? Det vet jag inte", sade hon. "Jag trodde aldrig att jag skulle få ett sånt här samtal, någonsin i mitt liv." Andra varnade dock för att övertolka innebörden i tillkännagivandet. Cummings sade till exempel att hon var "försiktig" upprymd av nyheterna. Hon sa att tillkännagivandet öppnat dörren för diskussion, "kanske en spricka." "Något som likställer detta som ett tillkännagivande att kvinnor kommer att ordineras som diakoner," misstolkar budskapet, sade hon. "Massor av människor har redan studerat denna fråga. ... Folk studerar det hela tiden." William Ditewig, diakon i Washingtons ärkestift och på teologiska fakulteten vid Santa Clara University sade att allmänheten borde hålla ett balanserat perspektiv på nyheterna. "Visst vill Francis se en ökad roll för kvinnor, men innebär det ordination?" Ditewig sade att det inte är en fråga om kvinnor -- utan en grundläggande teologi för diakonatet. Denna kommission, tillade han, kommer att tjäna till att öka utvecklingen av diakonatets teologi. Den internationella teologiska kommissionen för församlingen för trosläran diskuterade kvinnliga diakoner vid ett möte i januari 2002. Kommissionen tycktes lämna frågan om kvinnliga diakoner öppen, och sade att "i ljuset av nuvarande historisk-teologiska forskning", det finns ett behov av "urskiljning om vad Herren har upprättat för kyrkan." Vid den tiden, dock Gerhard Ludwig Müller, som nu är en kardinal och prefekt för församlingen för läran om tron, men var då teolog vid Münchens universitet och medlem av kommissionen, avfärdade återupprättandet av kvinnliga diakoner. – Det kvinnor idag åstadkommer som religionsprofessorer, teologiprofessorer, pastoralagenter och även i oavlönad verksamhet i samhällena går långt utöver vad diakonessorna i den tidiga kyrkan gjorde, berättade Muller för Zenit nyhetsbyrå 2002. "Återupprättandet av diakonessornas tidigare tjänst vore endast en roande anakronism", sade han. Under tiden kommer kvinnliga diakonförespråkare att fortsätta sitt arbete inom den katolska kyrkan. FutureChurch kommer att hålla en kvinnlig diakon reträtt 14-16 september i Cleveland, Ohio, för "kvinnor som är kräsna eller känner kallas," sade Rose-Milavec. Konferensen kommer att innehålla sessioner om kvinnliga diakoners historia i kyrkan och en handfull talare inklusive Zagano. [Traci Badalucco och Elizabeth A. Elliott är NCR Bertelsen praktikanter.] ROME-Pope Francis sade Vatikanen skulle studera möjligheten att ordinera katolska kvinnor som diakoner, som en del av kyrkans ansträngningar att ge en större ledarskapsroll till kvinnor. Under ett möte torsdag med ledare för kvinnors religiösa ordnar, påven – som ofta har hyllat den roll kvinnor spelar i kyrkan – tillfrågades varför rollen som permanent diakon var begränsad till män. Påven svarade att Vatikanen skulle undersöka möjligheten att ta in kvinnor i rollen, utan att ge ytterligare detaljer. ... Nunnor sjunger medan de väntar på påve Franciskus ankomst under det heliga året aktiviteter på Petersplatsen på Vatikanen den 24 april. (Andrew Medichini/AP) Påven Franciskus på torsdag öppnade dörren till möjligheten av prästvigda kvinnliga diakoner för första gången på århundraden, potentiellt signalera en historisk skifte för kvinnans roll i den mansdominerade tjänsten inom romersk-katolska kyrkan. Påven är känd som motståndare till kvinnliga präster. Men, i kommentarer utanför bojorna till en internationell konferens av nunnor i Vatikanstaten, sade han att han stöder skapandet av en kommission för att undersöka om kvinnor bör ”återinföras” som diakoner. Han uppmanade till ett sådant uppdrag att granska de kvinnliga diakoners historia och omfattning som tjänade kyrkan under antiken. Men samtidigt som han föreslog att han skulle välkomna en ny debatt, slutade Francis att säga om han slutligen skulle stödja återtagandet av kvinnor som diakoner, som har en rad prästliknande befogenheter inklusive dop, förrättar på bröllop, distribuerar helig nattvard och predikar i mässan. [Vilka andra religioner har kvinnliga präster?] Påvens kommentarer kom som en del av en fråge- och-svarssession under en sammankomst av International Union of Superiors General, en 500 000 medlemmar global nunnegrupp. “Vad hindrar kyrkan från att inkludera kvinnor bland permanenta diakoner, precis som det hände i den tidiga kyrkan?” påven tillfrågades, enligt en utskrift av National Catholic Reporter. ”Varför inte konstruera en kommission för att studera frågan?” sade påven till systrarna att kvinnornas roll i historien, såvitt han vet, var lite dunkel.” Det var inte klart, sade han, om de var ”ordnade” – eller officiellt utsedda. Att skapa ett uppdrag att studera frågan ” skulle göra gott för kyrkan att klargöra detta. Jag är överens.” [Den katolska kyrkan sätter en fot framåt på vägen till att inkludera kvinnor] Påvens kommentarer mottogs entusiastiskt. Nunnornas grupp ” är mycket glad över det välkomnande samtalet med påven. Det var mycket vänligt, bekant. Det var en verklig dialog, sade talekvinnan Patrizia Morgante. Nästan omedelbart började katolska experter från alla håll längs det ideologiska spektrumet debattera betydelsen av kommentarerna. — Jag kan inte nog understryka hur banbrytande detta är för kyrkan, sade Boston College-teologen James Bretzke. — Om kvinnor kan ordineras som diakoner, så kommer detta att försvaga — inte förstöra — utan avsevärt försvaga argumentet att kvinnor absolut är oförmögna att bli prästvigda. Så detta öppnar mer än en spricka i dörren.” Ändå var några liberala kvinnliga teologer snabba att fokusera på tvetydigheten i påvens ord. En kommission som i första hand studerade kvinnans historiska roll som diakoner under gångna århundraden, varnade de, kan ännu betyda en lång väg framåt innan kvinnor faktiskt kunde ordineras som diakoner i dag. — Frågan om kvinnliga diakoner har redan studerats ingående, sade Marinella Perroni, en Rombaserad teolog. “Jag hoppas att vi inte börjar från grunden nu.” [Inom det katolska sjukhemmet i centrum av en tvistig högsta domstol fall] Och Susan Selner-Wright, en konservativ filosofi professor vid St John Vianney Theological Seminary i Denver, sade att liberaler hoppas att påvens kommission skulle leda till prästvigning av kvinnor som diakoner eller präster “kommer att bli besviken.” “Det är inte upp till kyrkan att ändra,” sade Selner-Wright. — Det är upp till Jesus. . . . Om han hade velat rekrytera kvinnor för att vara bland apostlarna, skulle han ha gjort det. Men hon sade att hon kunde tänka sig en reviderad roll där diakoner, både manliga och kvinnliga, ägnar sig åt tjänst men inte är prästvigda. — Det skulle verkligen bli en seismisk förskjutning i förståelsen av diakonatet och förståelsen av diakoner. Och det kanske vore bra, sade hon. Påvens kommentarer kom under en två veckor lång period som såg kvinnofrågor väckas mer än vanligt inom Vatikanstatens mansdominerade murar. För en vecka sedan sade kardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatikanens statssekreterare och en nära förtrogen till påven, att det teoretiskt sett inte finns någon anledning till att en kvinna inte en dag kunde fylla sitt arbete. Parolin — som ofta betraktades som den mäktigaste figuren i Vatikanstaten efter påven — gjorde detta uttalande när Vatikanen avtäckte en översyn av en avdelning för kvinnor i sin officiella tidning, L’Osservatore Romano. Francis Francis har uttalat sig mot ojämlikhet i andra ådror, till exempel genom att kalla löneklyftan mellan män och kvinnor som gör samma jobb ”ren skandal”. I en institution som ibland varit obekväm med att ta upp frågan om kvinnors roll i kyrkans huvud har han också verkat underlätta en bredare debatt. Förra året, till exempel, var Vatikanen värd för ett antal konferenser inriktade på kvinnor, inklusive en med titeln “Kvinnors kulturer: jämlikhet och skillnad.” [Kan påven Franciskus vara en feministisk påve?] Men medan Franciskus hade utarbetat behovet av en större roll för kvinnor i kyrkan, har han kategoriskt uteslutit tanken på att ordinera kvinnliga präster. Så sent som i september sade han till reportrar på en flygtur tillbaka till Rom efter sitt historiska besök i USA att ordinationen av kvinnor "inte kan göras". "Påven Johannes Paulus II efter långa, långa intensiva diskussioner, långa eftertanke sade så tydligt," påven sade. – Inte för att kvinnor inte har kapaciteten. I kyrkan är kvinnor viktigare än män eftersom kyrkan är kvinna. Det är “la” kyrka, inte “il” kyrka. Kyrkan är Jesu Kristi brud.” Kyrkliga ledare har talat om frågorna kring kvinnliga diakoner i åratal. En Vatikankommission från 2002 efterlyste en ”urskiljningsministär” inom kyrkan för att reda ut vad kvinnliga diakoner gjorde i det förflutna och hur det förhåller sig till nuet. Vatikanens kommunikationskontor utvidgades till diakonens historiska roll i kyrkan och påvens anmärkningar i ett senare e-postmeddelande. Fram till 500-talet blomstrade både manliga och kvinnliga diakoner i den västerländska kyrkan, men diakonens roll avtog under de närmaste århundradena, och överlevde endast som ett mellanstadium för manliga kandidater som förberedde sig för prästvigning. Efter Andra Vatikankonciliet återupprättade kyrkan rollen som permanent diakon, som är öppen för ogifta och gifta män. “Många experter anser att kvinnor också bör kunna tjäna i denna roll, eftersom det finns gott om bevis på kvinnliga diakoner under de första århundradena, inklusive en som heter Phoebe som citeras av Saint Paul i sitt brev till romarna,” sade ett e-postmeddelande från engelskspråkiga press officer Rev. Thomas Rosica. Frans “sade förståelse om sin roll i den tidiga kyrkan förblev oklart och överens om att det skulle vara användbart att inrätta en kommission för att studera frågan.” Men rapporten noterade också att när påven tillfrågades om kvinnor som predikar homilies under mässan – vilket diakoner gör, liksom präster – Franciskus “sade att det är viktigt att skilja” mellan olika typer av tal, och att tala under mässan kopplar samman rollen som präst till personen Jesus, som var manlig. [Pope Francis har en ovanligt positiv syn på sex] Syster Simone Campbell, en framstående progressiv amerikansk nunna som leder den inhemska sociala rättvisa lobbying firma NÄTVERK, sade hon ser Francis som “typ av fångad” mellan att komma från en kultur dominerad av bilder av män som ledare och hans egna böjelser att skapa starka band med kvinnor och se dem som ledare, också. Trots hänvisningar i Nya Testamentet och i tidig kyrkokonst till kvinnors ledarskap, “det finns 1000 år av att säga kvinnors ledarskap aldrig hänt,” Campbell sade. – En del av det är att lyfta upp skrifthänvisningar som har glossats över och flytta fram kyrkan för att acceptera den. Du vet hur det är för människor — vi ser vad vi förväntar oss och ser inte vad vi inte vill se. Jag tror att det är det som öppnar upp. . . Strävan att se på den djupare sanningen.” Stefano Pitrelli i Rom bidrog till denna rapport. Detta inlägg har uppdaterats. Vill du ha fler historier om tro? Följ troshandlingar på Twitter eller anmäl dig till vårt nyhetsbrev. Äntligen, många skilda och omgifta katoliker säger att de inte längre känner sig utstötta De viktigaste punkterna du bör läsa i påven Franciskus stora undervisning om familjen Ärkestiftet i Baltimore har lagt upp en lista på 71 präster anklagade för sexuellt missbruk barn ^^ (Vatikanradion) Påven Franciskus ledde en ingående diskussion på torsdag om kvinnans roll i kyrkan, säger att han vill inrätta en kommission för att studera möjligheten att återinsätta kvinnliga diakoner. Hans samtal var en del av en fråge- och svarssession med omkring 900 ledare för kvinnliga religiösa ordnar och församlingar som ingår i International Union of Superiors General, eller UISG. Philippa Hitchen rapporterar: Påven Franciskus talade av manschetten under sitt stängda dörrmöte med systrarna, som för närvarande håller sin generalförsamling i Rom denna vecka, vilket markerar 50-årsdagen av grundandet av deras organisation. Under det och ett halvt långa samtalet om kvinnans mission och tjänst i det religiösa livet besvarade påven flera känsliga frågor, bland annat en om kvinnliga diakoners historia. Han sade att förståelsen av deras roll i den tidiga kyrkan förblev oklar och enades om att det skulle vara nyttigt att tillsätta en kommission för att studera frågan. Kvinnornas diakoner i den tidiga kyrkan Fram till 500-talet blomstrade diakonatet i den västra kyrkan, men under de följande århundradena upplevde det en långsam nedgång, som endast fortlevde som ett mellanstadium för kandidater som förberedde sig för prästvigning. Efter Andra Vatikankonciliet återupprättade kyrkan rollen som permanent diakon, som är öppen för ogifta och gifta män. Många experter menar att kvinnor också bör kunna tjänstgöra i denna roll, eftersom det finns gott om bevis för kvinnliga diakoner under de första århundradena, däribland en som heter Phoebe och som omnämns av Sankt Paulus i hans brev till romarna. Fler kvinnor i ledande ställningar Pope Francis upprepade att han vill se en ökning av antalet kvinnor i beslutsfattande positioner i kyrkan, säger kvinnors perspektiv är mycket viktiga för både utarbetandet och genomförandet av sådana beslut. Frågade om möjligheten för kvinnor att predika homilies under mässan, påven sade att det är viktigt att skilja mellan andra typer av liturgier, där predikan kan predikas av avskilda eller lekmän, och mässan, där homily är kopplad till rollen som prästen tjänar “i persona Christi”. Ändringar i Canons lag Frågade om utsikterna till förändringar i Canons lag som skulle underlätta den reformprocess som genomförs av många kvinnliga församlingar, påven sade att sådana förändringar kunde vara möjliga, förutsatt att de var resultatet av en process av urskillning av de behöriga myndigheterna. Service inte träldom Slutligen talade påven Franciskus om det livsviktiga arbetet av systrarna som tar hand om de fattiga och marginaliserade. Han sade att detta är en kallelse till gudstjänst för kyrkan och får aldrig förväxlas med träldom, som ibland fortfarande tillfrågas av dem. De bör inte vara rädda för att bli märkta som ”aktivister”, i deras tjänst till de behövande, sade han, utan de bör också få tid till vila och till att lyssna till äldre eller sjuka medlemmar av deras samhällen som är en värdefull källa till visdom och minne. Â°°
Photo ROME — Pope Francis said on Thursday that he would set up a commission to study whether women could serve as deacons in the Roman Catholic Church, a trait hailed by women who have been fighting for years for a more prominent role in the church. His comments reveal an openness to re-examine the long-held insistence of the church on an entirely male priesthood. But the thought will face severe opposition from those who believe it to be the first step toward the prescribing of female priests, something that popes have recently ruled out, in reference to church doctrine. The pope's comments were made during an assembly of leaders of women's religious orders and were consistent with his style: a seemingly outside the shackles remark that opened a broad horizon of possibilities. It came during a Question Time where he assured the nearly 900 sisters in the room that he wanted to "increase the number of women in decision-making positions in the church". One woman asked about the possibility of an official commission to study the issue. His answer was, essentially, “Why not?” Advertisement Continue reading the main story “To set up an official commission that can study the question?” Francis mutated, according to The National Catholic Reporter. — I think yes. It would be good if the church made this clear. I agree.” “I accept,” the pope later said. “It seems good to me to have a commission that would clarify this well.” The comments may prove to be more a change in tone than a change in church practice, similar to his remark “Who am I to judge?” that was made in response to a question about homosexuals during a midflight news conference in 2013. Deacons are ordained priests in the Catholic Church, and in many congregations they perform many of the same duties as priests do. They are allowed to preach at Mass, perform baptism, witness marriage, and perform funeral services. Diacons must be men over 35 at present, and they may be married (if a deacon's wife dies, however, he is expected to remain celibate). For decades, despite the lack of priests, the church in the United States has actively encouraged men to become deacons to fill the gaps. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says that there are now more than 13,000 men serving in what is called the "permanent deaconate." Creating a Vatican Commission is no guarantee of change. Such commissions may take several years to reach conclusions and are only advisory. Pope Paul VI rejected the majority report of a Vatican Commission in 1966 which, after three years of study, essentially recommended the Church to lift its ban on artificial birth control. It is far from clear that Francis favours female deacons or that a commission he appointed would even recommend this change. Some Catholic women cite research that shows that women served as deacons in early church history. However, the pope asked some skeptical questions at the convention about the responsibility of the deaconesses in the early church was more limited than that of male deacons. Today's Headlines: European Morning Get news and analyses from Europe and around the world delivered to your inbox every day on the European morning. Francis said that his first step would be to consult the church's office of doctrine "to tell me if there are studies on this". The teaching office is led by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, a German theologian who has long argued that ordination of women in any capacity is inadmissible. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Lucetta Scaraffia, co-editor of a monthly magazine on women and the church distributed with the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said that although the pope's words were encouraging, they did not necessarily reflect the views of most bishops. “I doubt a lot, that it will become of it,” said Miss Scaraffia. “I think the Pope would like to initiate a discussion, but there is strong opposition” to any ordination of women. Nevertheless, news of Francis ’ statement gave Catholics who have questioned the church’s teaching that women cannot be ordained because Jesus ’ disciples were all men. “I am ecstatic,” said Sister Christine Schenck, who for years served as Executive Director of FutureChurch, an organization based in Cleveland advocating greater roles for laymen and women in the church. “I was just in prayer thanking God.” She said about 30,000 women already served in American congregations as “putting ecclesiastical ministers,” taking on many pastoral and administrative functions. Many of them have advanced degrees in theology and service. However, they may not deliver homily at Mass, and some are unsung and invisible in their congregations. “The vast majority of all these lay ministers in the United States could be prescribed deacons tomorrow. They have fulfilled all the qualifications,” Sister Schenck said. — Being ordained as deacons would allow them to preach at Sunday Mass. It would also validate their ministry.” The Women’s Ordination Conference, an American organization that supports the idea of female deacons, priests and bishops, said in a statement, “Opening a commission to study the deaconat for women would be a big step for the Vatican to recognize its own history.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story That history, however, is a matter of a certain debate. Some scholars say that there is Biblical evidence that women served as deacons alongside men, but others say that the functions of women were more limited. In 1995, an American group of experts on gun law said that it would be in line with Catholic theology and previous practice to prescribe women as deacons in the church, although the Vatican never acted upon that recommendation. The International Theological Commission, an advisory body of the Vatican Office of Education, viewed female deacons in 2002, but it came to rather muddy conclusions. Phyllis Zagano, an advocate for female ordination and editor of the book “The Deacons of Women? Essays With Answers, said that until about the 12th century, women were ordained as deacons and were regarded as priests, but their roles varied between countries and dioceses. “The real problem is that they cannot figure out why a woman can be ordained a deacon but not a priest,” said Ms. Zagano. Francis has been urged to give women a greater role in the church, where few women hold top positions in the Curia, the Vatican administrative arm. He has repeatedly acknowledged this flaw, but so far he has not quite addressed it. At the session with the female superior general on Thursday, Francis admitted that the integration of women into life in the church had been “very weak” and said, “We have to move forward.” <unk<unk>unk> Editor's note: This story was updated on May 13, 2016, at 12:10 a.m. CT to include further reactions. Pope Francis' announcement Thursday to create a commission to investigate the history of female deacons in the Catholic Church has left many long advocates with a sense of hope, joy and drive forward in their efforts to improve female leadership in the church. "I'm standing on my head, I'm happy, I'm crying," Deborah Rose-Milavec, managing director of FutureChurch, told NCR in a phone interview Thursday morning. "It's just a historic breakthrough of enormous proportions and the consequences are far-reaching, as far as what women will be able to take on in the church." Rose-Milavec said while the Pope is likely to encounter opposition from members of the Roman Curia and some theologian and scribes, she does not think it will deter him. "I don't doubt it. ... No concern," she said of the opposition. "UISG spoke very directly about this to him, and I think that when he makes them a promise that way, it will not disappear." Canadian Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, who mentioned the subject during his three-minute intervention at the Bishop Synod about the family in October, said he was surprised by the news. Get NCR delivered to your inbox. Sign up for free newsletters. "Since the Synod members themselves and the Pope in their letter did not refer to the role of the woman in the church very clearly, I hoped it was a seed planted in the ground and asked it to bear fruit at one point, but I did not know if it would," he said. Durocher said a number of bishops he spoke to at the synod were favorable for studying the idea. "I'm glad the Pope sees it appropriate to move this way to study this issue more fully," said Durocher. "I really think it needs to be studied in the church and I look forward to seeing how he will set up this commission and how it will be described and who is part of it and the fruit of its work." Phyllis Zagano, an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar and lecturer in contemporary spirituality and women's affairs in the church, said that the movement of the Spirit -- between Ascension and Pentecost -- brings the issue to the surface. "It's very hopeful," she told the NCR. "It shows Francis' openness to scholarship, to history and, most importantly, to the needs of the church." Kathleen Sprows Cummings, head of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame since 2012, said whether women become deacons is not the most important issue, but rather that the conversation came from a meeting with women. Advertisement "Church talks a lot about women, but it doesn't talk much to women," she said. "They asked a question, and he answered." This is not the first time the issue has been studied, according to Zagano, who mentioned that it was discussed between 1992 and 2002 -- but without a solution. "The only thing that came about was an incomplete document that said it is the Church's job to decide on this matter." The church is finding its way into the 21st century, she added. History alone will not answer the question whether the Catholic Church should prescribe female deacons, according to historian Gary Macy. “You have to be very careful when looking at history,” said Macy of the Pope’s announcement. “They did nothing in the past in the same way as now. It's just another line-up." Macy, professor of theology at Santa Clara University in California, said history proves that there were female deacons -- and in some places in the world -- they were ordained in the same way as men. — Other times [traditions] were different, but not so different, that it would make [women] a smaller order or something like that, he said. If the church would eventually allow female deacons, Macy said, the vast majority of historical evidence reveals that women should be ordained in the same way as men. Natalie Terry, 27, head of the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center and child faith formation at St Agnes Catholic Church, San Francisco, said she has been waiting for the news since she was a teenager. "As someone who has found her call, I wasn't sure there would even be a day that the Pope would call a commission that would happen during my lifetime," she told NCR in a telephone interview. Terry, who wants to become a deacon, called the announcement a recognition "that women have a calling." "The fact that the Pope and the structural church can acknowledge this is incredibly meaningful, and will mean a dynamic change will take place in the church now because this commission has been called," she said. No matter how the details go to, Terry said she believes the Commission will create a space for dialogue that includes women. Connie Walsh, 66, a nurse who felt called to the deaconate in her 30s, said she still melted the news. "I feel like I just jumped out of my socks," she told NCR. "I know what it's like to be among women in leadership in the church," she said. "They have worked so long and they are so amazing and so persistent, who could possibly say no? He [Francis] could have done it, but he didn't." Walsh said while elated by the news, she is also aware that major changes take time. "Will it happen in my lifetime? I don't know," she said. "I never thought I'd get a conversation like this, ever in my life." However, others warned against overinterpreting the meaning of the announcement. Cummings, for example, said she was "cautious" elated by the news. She said the announcement opened the door for discussion, "perhaps a crack." "Something that equates this to an announcement that women will be prescribed as deacons," misinterpreting the message, she said. "Lots of people have already studied this issue. ... People study it all the time." William Ditewig, deacon of the Washington Archdiocese and at the Faculty of Theology of Santa Clara University said that the public should keep a balanced perspective on the news. "Sure Francis wants to see an increased role for women, but does that mean ordination?" Ditewig said that it is not a question of women -- but a basic theology of the deaconat. This commission, he added, will serve to increase the development of the theology of the deaconate. The International Theological Commission of the Clergy Assembly discussed women deacons at a meeting in January 2002. The Commission seemed to leave open the question of female deacons, saying that "in the light of current historical-theological research", there is a need for "departure of what the Lord has established for the Church." At that time, however, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who is now a cardinal and prefect of the Assembly for the doctrine of faith, but was then a theologian at Munich University and a member of the Commission, dismissed the restoration of female deacons. “What women today accomplish as professors of religion, professors of theology, pastoral law and even in unpaid activities in the communities goes far beyond what the diaconesses of the early church did,” Muller told Zenit news agency in 2002. "The restoration of the former service of the diaconesses would only be an amusing anachronism," he said. Meanwhile, female deacon advocates will continue their work within the Catholic Church. FutureChurch will hold a female deacon retreat September 14-16 in Cleveland, Ohio, for "women who are picky or feel called," said Rose-Milavec. The conference will include sessions on the history of women deacons in the church and a handful of speakers including Zagano. [Traci Badalucco and Elizabeth A. Elliott are NCR Bertelsen interns.] ROME-Pope Francis said the Vatican would study the possibility of ordaining Catholic women as deacons, as part of the church's efforts to give a greater leadership role to women. During a meeting Thursday with leaders of women's religious orders, the Pope – who has often paid tribute to the role women play in the church – was asked why the role of permanent deacon was limited to men. The pope replied that the Vatican would examine the possibility of taking women into the role, without giving further details. ... Nuns sing while waiting for Pope Francis' arrival during the Holy Year activities at St. Peter's Square on the Vatican on April 24. (Andrew Medichini/AP) Pope Francis on Thursday opened the door to the possibility of ordained female deacons for the first time in centuries, potentially signalling a historical shift for the role of woman in the male-dominated service of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope is known as opposed to female priests. However, in remarks outside the shackles of an international conference of nuns in the Vatican State, he said he supports the creation of a commission to investigate whether women should be 'reintroduced' as deacons. He called for such a mission to examine the history and scope of the women deacons who served the church in ancient times. But while suggesting that he welcome a new debate, Francis stopped saying whether he would finally support the readmission of women such as deacons, who have a range of priest-like powers including baptism, perform at weddings, distribute Holy Communion, and preach at Mass. [What other religions have female priests?] The Pope's comments came as part of a question-and-answer session during an assembly of the International Union of Superiors General, a 500,000-member global nun group. “What prevents the church from including women among permanent deacons, just as it happened in the early church?” the pope was asked, according to a transcript by the National Catholic Reporter. “Why not construct a commission to study the question?” the pope told the sisters that the role of women in history, as far as he knows, was a bit obscure.” It wasn’t clear, he said, if they were “ordered” – or officially appointed. Creating a mission to study the issue “would do the church good to clarify this. I agree.” [The Catholic Church sets a foot forward on the road to including women] Pope's comments were enthusiastically received. The nuns ’ group “are very happy with the welcoming conversation with the pope. That's very kind, familiar. It was a real dialogue," said spokeswoman Patrizia Morgante. Almost immediately Catholic experts from all sides along the ideological spectrum began to debate the importance of the comments. “I cannot stress enough how pioneering this is for the church,” said Boston College theologian James Brezke. — If women can be prescribed as deacons, this will weaken — not destroy — but considerably weaken the argument that women are absolutely unable to be ordained. So this opens more than a crack in the door.” Yet some liberal female theologians were quick to focus on the ambiguity of the pope’s words. A commission which primarily studied the historical role of women as deacons over the past centuries, they warned, could still mean a long way forward before women could actually be prescribed as deacons today. “The issue of female deacons has already been thoroughly studied,” said Marinella Perroni, a Rome-based theologian. “I hope we don’t start from scratch now.” [Within the Catholic nursing home at the centre of a contentious Supreme Court case] And Susan Selner-Wright, a conservative philosophy professor at St John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, said Liberals hope that the Pope’s commission would lead to the ordination of women like deacons or priests “will be disappointed.” “It’s not up to the church to change,” Selner-Wright said. — It's up to Jesus. . . . . . . . . . If he had wanted to recruit women to be among the apostles, he would have. But she said she could imagine a revised role in which deacons, both male and female, engage in service but are not ordained. “There would indeed be a seismic shift in the understanding of the deaconate and the understanding of deacons. And maybe that would be good, she said. The Pope's comments came over a two-week period that saw women's issues raised more than usual within the male-dominated walls of Vatican City. A week ago, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican State Secretary and a close confidant of the Pope, said that theoretically there is no reason why a woman could not one day fill her job. Parolin — often considered the most powerful figure in Vatican City after the pope — made this statement when the Vatican unveiled a review of a section for women in its official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. Francis Francis has spoken out against inequality in other veins, for example by calling the pay gap between men and women doing the same job ‘pure scandal’. In an institution that has sometimes been uncomfortable raising the issue of the role of women in the church's head, he has also seemed to facilitate a wider debate. Last year, for example, the Vatican hosted a number of conferences focused on women, including one entitled “Women’s Cultures: Equality and Difference.” [Can Pope Francis be a feminist pope?] But while Francis had worked out the need for a greater role for women in the church, he has categorically ruled out the idea of prescribing female priests. As recently as September, he told reporters on a flight back to Rome after his historic visit to the United States that the ordination of women "cannot be done." "Pope John Paul II after long, long intense discussions, long reflection said so clearly," the pope said. - Not that women don't have the capacity. In church, women are more important than men because the church is a woman. It is “la” church, not “il” church. The church is the bride of Jesus Christ.” Church leaders have been talking about the issues of female deacons for years. A 2002 Vatican Commission called for a ‘departure cabinet' within the church to sort out what female deacons did in the past and how it relates to the present. The Vatican Communications Office was extended to the historical role of the deacon in the church and the Pope's remarks in a later email. Until the 5th century, both male and female deacons flourished in the Western Church, but the role of the deacon waned over the next few centuries, surviving only as an intermediate stage for male candidates preparing for ordination. After the Second Vatican Council, the church restored the role of permanent deacon, which is open to unmarried and married men. “Many experts believe that women should also be able to serve in this role, because there is plenty of evidence of female deacons in the first centuries, including one named Phoebe as quoted by Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans,” said an email from English-language press officer Rev. Thomas Rosica. Francis “said understanding of his role in the early church remained unclear and agreed that it would be useful to set up a commission to study the issue.” However, the report also noted that when asked about women preaching homilies during Mass – as deacons do, as do priests – Francis “said that it is important to distinguish” between different types of speech, and to speak during Mass connects the role of priest to the person Jesus, who was male. [Pope Francis has an unusually positive view of sex] Sister Simone Campbell, a prominent progressive American nun who leads the domestic social justice lobbying firm NETWORK, said she sees Francis as “type of trapped” between coming from a culture dominated by images of men as leaders and his own inclinations to create strong ties with women and see them as leaders, too. Despite references in the New Testament and in early church art to women’s leadership, “there are 1000 years of saying women’s leadership never happened,” Campbell said. – Part of it is to raise references that have been glossed over and move the church forward to accept it. You know how it is for people — we see what we expect and do not see what we do not want to see. I think that's what opens up. . . . . . . The effort to look at the deeper truth.” Stefano Pitrelli in Rome contributed to this report. This post has been updated. Do you want more stories about faith? Follow acts of faith on Twitter or sign up for our newsletter. Finally, many divorced and remarried Catholics say they no longer feel outcast The most important points you should read in Pope Francis' great teaching about the Archdiocese of Baltimore family have posted a list of 71 priests accused of sexual abuse children <unk> (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis led an in-depth discussion on Thursday about the role of woman in the church, saying he wants to set up a commission to study the possibility of reinstating female deacons. His conversation was part of a question-and-answer session with about 900 leaders of female religious orders and congregations belonging to the International Union of Superiors General, or UISG. Philippa Hitchen reports: Pope Francis spoke by the cuff during his closed door meeting with the sisters, who are currently holding their General Assembly in Rome this week, marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of their organization. During the half - long discussion about the mission and service of women in religious life, the pope answered several sensitive questions, including one about the history of women deacons. He said that understanding their role in the early church remained unclear and agreed that it would be useful to set up a commission to study the issue. The deacons of women in the early church Until the 5th century, the deaconate flourished in the western church, but in the following centuries it experienced a slow decline, which only survived as an intermediate stage for candidates preparing for ordination. After the Second Vatican Council, the church restored the role of permanent deacon, which is open to unmarried and married men. Many experts believe that women should also be able to serve in this role, as there is ample evidence of female deacons in the first centuries, including one named Phoebe mentioned by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans. More women in leading positions Pope Francis reiterated that he wants to see an increase in the number of women in decision-making positions in the church, says women's perspectives are very important for both the drafting and implementation of such decisions. Asked about the possibility for women to preach homilies during Mass, the Pope said it is important to distinguish between other types of liturgies, where the sermon can be preached by consecrated or laymen, and the Mass, where homily is linked to the role of the priest serving “in persona Christi”. Changes to Canon's law Asked about the prospects for changes to Canon's law that would facilitate the reform process carried out by many female assemblies, the Pope said such changes could be possible, provided they were the result of a process of discernment by the competent authorities. Service Not Servitude Finally, Pope Francis spoke of the vital work of the sisters who care for the poor and marginalized. He said that this is a call to church worship and must never be confused with servitude, which is sometimes still asked by them. They should not be afraid to be labeled “activists”, in their service to those in need,” he said, but they should also be given time to rest and to listen to elderly or sick members of their communities who are a valuable source of wisdom and memory. <unk>