A Vatican commission has formally rejected the proposal to allow women to serve as Catholic deacons, keeping the Church's clergy male-only despite nearly a decade of debate. The report, delivered to Pope Leo and released on Thursday, said the panel's historical and theological review ruled out the possibility "at this time," although it urged further study.
Nearly a decade of debate
The commission, made up of male and female scholars and led by senior members of the Vatican's doctrinal office, voted 7-1 against the change. Its conclusion marks the first public outcome of the two secretive study groups launched under the late Pope Francis, who opened the discussion in 2016 after a request from global orders of Catholic sisters.
Deacons can baptize, witness marriages, preside at funerals and, in some regions, lead parishes when no priest is available. They cannot celebrate Mass. The role, once viewed only as a path to priesthood, became a permanent ministry for married men after Vatican reforms in the 1960s.
The commission also voted 9-1 earlier this year to broaden women's access to ministry in other ways, leaving local Church leaders to determine what that could mean in practice. Pope Leo has not yet commented on the findings.