A German theologian-bishop has called for the ordination of woman deacons, saying it is more important than relaxing mandatory celibacy or ordaining married men of proven virtue (viri probati) to the priesthood. “Women should be ordained deacons. It is a sign of the times,” said Bishop Gebhard Fürst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
He told a 27 March gathering of the German Catholic Women’s Association (KDFB) the time had come for women deacons. The association, which has been demanding the move for over twenty years, was marking its 100th anniversary.
In his keynote address to the group, Bishop Fürst said the faithful had been waiting for decades for the Church to answer the question of women deacons. He said the answer was therefore long overdue and now imperative.
The 68-year-old bishop, who succeeded Cardinal Walter Kasper some seventeen years ago as head of the diocese, said he interpreted Pope Francis’ silence on the issue was a sign that the Pope was “not totally opposed” to the subject.
Bp Fürst said he intended to campaign for the women’s diaconate in German bishops’ conference since its members were divided on the issue. How-ever, his spokesman Uwe Renz told the German daily Stuttgarter Nachrichten (27 March) that the bishop would not be appealing directly to the Vatican.
