Addressing the Synod Asse-mbly on October 21, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, ex-plained that his absence at a meeting of Synod delegates last week on the topic of female diaconate was due to a medical procedure undergone by a co-lleague responsible for coordi-nating the group. His absence had raised questions in some of the press that suggested it showed a lack of interest in the topic. The Cardinal addressed the issue as part of a broader communica-tion and apologized for what he called a “misunderstanding.”
According to Cardinal Fer-nandez, Pope Francis has expre-ssed that “at this moment the question of the female diaconate is not ripe”. “The commission studying the topic has reached partial conclusions, which will be made public at the appropriate time he explained, adding that the commission, chaired by Card-inal Giuseppe Petrocchi, will continue its work and those who wish to submit proposals or re-flections on the topic are en-couraged to do so.
While the question of female deacons remains unresolved, Cardinal Fernandez stressed that the Pope is deeply concerned about enhancing the role of women in the Church.
The Holy Father, he said, has asked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to explore ways to elevate women’s leader-ship within the Church without focusing exclusively on the Sacrament of Ordination.
Cardinal Fernandez argued that focusing solely on the female diaconate would not address the broader issue affecting millions of women in the Church. He pointed out that several steps toward increasing women’s roles could already be implemented, and the Church has not fully embraced them.