Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, President of the Congregation of the Faith, has responded to the dissatisfaction caused by his absence from the meeting with members of the Synod last Friday: despite the appointment of an important doctor to the responsible secretary, he discovered his arrival later. Desired.
So Fernandez offered a new appointment next Thursday. The meeting was about a study group set up by the Pope to study the role of women in the Church and the possible women’s diaconate.
The head of the Vatican Communications Dicastery, Paolo Ruffini, read Cardinal Fernández’s message at a press conference in the Vatican, clarifying that the Secretary of the Congregation for the Faith (Armando Matteo) coordinates Group 5 in charge of women’s issues. , ed.) Aug. Due to an emergency doctor’s appointment, he was unable to participate in the scheduled conversation on Friday afternoon and sent two “highly competent” representatives instead. According to Fernandez, he later found out that his presence had been requested and therefore offered a new appointment on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
The question is not yet ripe
“We know that the Holy Father expressed that the question of the female diaconate is not ripe at this time, and he asked us not to dwell on this possibility now. The Commission of Inquiry has partial results on this matter, which we will publish in due course, but it will continue to work,” Rafini told reporters after reading the text of the Dictionary of Faith.
However, the question of women’s role is of great concern to the Pope, so he asked the responsible diocese to explore the possibility of participation unrelated to the canonical offices, even before the Synod’s request. He personally shares this direction from the Pope – which excludes inquiries in other directions – according to Fernandez, who justified this by saying that “thinking about the diaconate for a few women will not solve the problem of millions of women in the Church”.
Further steps that can be taken
Above all, there are steps that have yet to be taken, such as the detailed design of the office of catechist for women who can entrust community leadership in the absence of priests – a concern of the Amazon Synod in 2019.
The first possibility proposed by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in the letter to the bishops’ conferences regarding the creation of the new office is linked to the direction of catechesis. “But the second pope took what he was saying Dear Amazon They said: Catechists who support communities without priests, women who take responsibility, lead communities and perform various tasks. “Conferences of bishops have been able to accept this second way, but very few have actually done so,” Fernandez said.
This proposal is possible because the Pope clarified that “priestly authority associated with rites” does not necessarily translate into functions of authority, “forms of authority that do not require ordination”. However, the Prefect of Faith’s statement laments that these texts were not “taken up”.
Look for obstacles in the local church
The office of acolyte for women has so far only been practiced in a few dioceses, Fernández noted, due to the reluctance of priests to nominate suitable candidates for bishops and the permanent diaconate of men. This context. While it is taken for granted in many dioceses that permanent deacons often serve only as “altar boys,” the cardinal said in his statement expressing his belief that the ordination of deacons is not the most important response to the empowerment of women.
“To deepen the reflection, I asked to provide my Dicastery with testimonies from real community leaders or women who hold important positions of authority. Not because they were imposed on communities or as a result of a study, but because they received this authority under the impulse of the Spirit in response to the needs of the people.” In this sense, reality is “a higher idea,” says Fernández, who openly invites female members of this séot to set concrete examples.
The names will be announced on Thursday
“So on Thursday I will ask for opinions on the role of women in the church,” Fernandez said in his statement. Also: “For those who are very concerned about processes and names, I will explain this on Thursday and give names to put this work face to face.”
Regardless, Fernández announced that the original study commission on the women’s diaconate, chaired by L’Aquila’s Archbishop Cardinal Petrocchi, remains active and will resume its work in the coming months. Anyone interested can send their thoughts here. “We will progress step by step and reach “more concrete things,” Fernandez said in his conclusion, to understand that nothing in the nature of women prevents them from holding the most important positions in the leadership of churches. The statement read by Ruffini: “Indeed the Holy Spirit will not cease.”
(Vatican News – CS)
