Should the Vatican permit the ordination of women as deacons — a topic that has been studied by a papal commission — a majority of U.S. bishops surveyed said they would expect the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to pave the way to implement it. There was, though, only a minority of U.S. bishops answering the survey who believe the ordination of women as deacons is theoretically possible. These were two key findings of a report issued Jan. 22 by the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate. 62% of U.S. diocesan diaconate directors, who also were included in the survey, said their local bishop would implement the sacramental ordination of women as deacons, but just 54% of the bishops themselves said “yes” when asked “if the Holy See authorizes the sacramental ordination of women as deacons, would you consider implementing it in your diocese?”

Pope Francis established a 16-member commission on the diaconate of women in August 2016. Members’ task was to review the theology and history of the office of deacon in Roman Catholicism and the question of whether women might be allowed to become deacons. The group met over a two-year period and submitted its report to the Pope in late 2018. The findings have yet to be released.