Women Deacons: Another Vatican “Fix”?
Immediate release: Wednesday, April 8th
This latest announcement of a study commission on women deacons has all the hallmarks of an ‘inside job’.
Rather than selecting commission members from Catholic theological associations around the world, the Vatican has nominated ten insiders, not even one of whom is on record as ever having voiced a desire for, let alone approval of, the ordination of women to the diaconate.
Indeed, most of the members have previously worked with the Vatican and are therefore known to adhere to the current ‘party line’ in denying women were equal ministers in the early church and condoning the restrictions imposed upon them.
But such a contentious issue calls for independent, peer-reviewed expertise, and not for court theologians, as the Wijngaards Institute publicly appealed for in February. Until the selection process for such papal study commissions is made public, transparent, and open, there is little hope that the past will enlighten the present, or that truth will prevail.
The previous papal study commission, which worked from 2016 to 2019, had at least included two theologians known for their support of women deacons and yet their final report was kept secret and never made public. What did they discuss that has now been buried in the archives and why now must the study of women deacons start all over again?
The Wijngaards Institute’s own research shows that thousands of women served as ordained deacons during the first millennium of the Church and received a full ‘sacramental’ ordination. Our “Documented Appeal for the Reinstatement of Women Deacons” was signed by leading theologians, twenty Catholic organisations and prominent Catholics from around the world.
We condemn the decision to handpick a group of academics to decide upon what can only be a foregone conclusion. We are likely to see them call for a new, restricted role that seeks to pacify those calling for some semblance of equality for women but that will just ensure they remain second class citizens. Today is a sad day both for the Roman Catholic Church and for the openness so often encouraged by Pope Francis.
Media Advisory: We put together here our research notes on the relevant expertise of the new members of the papal commission on women deacons (April 2020 edition). Despite concerns that many of them appear to already have made their minds up against the possibility of a sacramental ordination of women to the diaconate, we know that true scholars are always ready to re-examine the evidence, and we hope this will be done by them – The research Team at the Wijngaards Institute.
Contact:
Miriam Duignan: T +44 7970 926910 E miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com
Dr. Luca Badini Confalonieri: T: + 44 7446 283699 E luca.badini@wijngaardsinstitute.com