In a seven-page document, the cardinal stated that, based on a historical investigation, the commissions agree that the so-called “deaconesses” existed in the history of the Church but with diverse functions and not equivalent to the male diaconate.
Petrocchi emphasized that this question cannot be resolved solely with historical data and that, ultimately, it is up to the magisterium to issue a doctrinal judgment.
Following the Synod on Synodality, everyone who wished to do so was invited to submit their contributions on the topic. The cardinal revealed that “although numerous submissions were received, the individuals or groups who sent their work numbered only 22 and represented only a few countries.”
“Therefore, although the material is abundant and, in some cases, skillfully argued, it cannot be considered the voice of the synod, much less of the people of God as a whole,” he noted.
Christ is male and the sex of those who receive ordination
Although there is not enough consensus to admit women to the diaconate, the votes show divided positions, with a clear tendency to maintain caution in this regard.
On the one hand, those who support the female diaconate argue for “the equal status of men and women as images of God,” while those who are against it recall “the fact that Christ is male, and therefore that those who receive ordination are male is not accidental but is an integral part of the sacramental identity, preserving the divine order of salvation in Christ.”
For those who oppose it, “altering this reality would not be a simple adjustment of the ministry but a rupture of the nuptial meaning of salvation.”
Despite the lack of consensus surrounding the diaconate, there is unanimity on the need to expand the ministries instituted for women, further exploring the “baptismal diaconate” (every baptized person’s call to serve) and promoting greater female co-responsibility in the life of the Church.
Petrocchi concluded by recommending that Pope Leo XIV follow a line of doctrinal prudence in his discernment as well as continue the theological study of the diaconate and, at the same time, open new ministerial spaces for women without resorting to sacramental ordination.
