Will the Catholic Church have women deacons? | Religion News Service.pdf (original) (raw)
Related papers
What Do U.S. Catholics Think about Women Deacons?
Review of Religious Research, 2019
What do U.S. Catholics think about women in the renewed diaconate? The Catholic Church's recovery of the concept of “synodality” encourages an answer to the question. This article examines the possible cultural acceptance of women deacons and the consequent organizational factors and concerns surrounding its implementation. It reviews three studies: a professional study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) of the attitudes of Catholic women in the United States (commissioned by America Media); an unscientific online poll conducted by the magazine U.S. Catholic; and a second CARA study of the attitudes of the leaders of men's and women's religious institutes and orders in the United States. The examination concludes with a discussion on the diaconal tasks women already perform in the Catholic Church and the manner in which the restoration of women to the ordained office of deacon could occur in this global institution.
Deaconesses from early church to modernity
2018
From the 19 th and early 20 th century, a worldwide movement began that would challenge and uproot everything that man had previously thought. That movement is now known as firstwave feminism, and since then, we have had two more waves with the fourth wave being driven by new social media platforms. 1 This global trend has influenced every aspect of our lives and has entirely redefined the socio-political landscape. This process has even infiltrated various religious organizations, and overturned the laws that had been held for millenniums. And today, it is knocking on our doors. Why does the Orthodox Church not ordain women? What do we have against women anyway? This is the question that I wish to expound on in this paper. Alexander Rentel points out that the first steps in dealing with canonical problems is to examine the appropriate canons within their historical context, aiming to understand how they were historically applied, and then constructing their application for the modern context. 2 Furthermore, in light of Rentel's suggestion, the corpus canonum of the Church is understood "as the written law and the civil law and liturgical practice as authentic exemplars of practice and custom." 3 And that true comprehension can only be gained when examined through the entire life of the Church with Christ as both its beginning and its end. 4 For these reasons, I have chosen to analyze the Apostolic Constitutions, the canons of the Councils, Justinian's Novels, and the Barberini Euchologion. The goal will be to draw out insights and perspectives that the early Church had towards ordination in general, and the ordination of women in particular. I will then follow up with some contemporary discussions surrounding this topic with an effort to gauge the general sentiment in the Orthodox community regarding the ordination of women.
NO WOMEN IN HOLY ORDERS? The Ancient Women Deacons
The book provides ample evidence to show that the women who were ordained to the diaconate during the first millennium had been sacramentally ordained. The second half of the book offers the text of the full ordination rite from six of the oldest manuscripts. Canterbury Press, London 2002; Women Deacons in the Early Church. Historical Texts and Contemporary Debates, Herder & Herder Crossroad, New York 2006; Vrouwen tot diaken gewijd. Historische feiten en actueel debat, Herne Heeswijk 2006 (Netherlands) and Altiora Averbode 2007 (Belgium).
La Croix International, 2021
Pope Francis recently decreed the women can be formally instituted as lectors (readers) and acolytes (altar servers) with an apostolic letter, issued "motu proprio" (by his own initiative) called Spiritus Domini. Guillaume Goubert, editor-in-chief of La Croix made this significant point in reference to the new legislation: Although he does not suggest it, Francis does not exclude the possibility of women being ordained deacons, or lay people (including women) being allowed to preach at Mass. If we leave aside the larger issue of women and the diaconate, one very immediate issue is whether it is now time to look at the question of preaching in the Eucharistic assembly.
The Place and Role of Women in the Catholic Church
2004
Women are stepping out of the restricted space of domes<br> tic walls to wider horizons in life, thus affirming their personhood<br> and equality with men. The very integrity of the church and the<br> credibility of its mission demands a new understanding of where<br> women stand and how women and men together can make of the<br> church a sacrament of God's vision for humanity. This re-imagining<br> is not something that would happen by itself. It calls for a construc-<br> tive and innovative move on the part of the church to address this<br> question openly.<br>