Women Deacons? Pope Francis Will Soon Decide

'Would you like to see a woman deacon giving the homily at your Sunday Mass later this year?' Fr Regis Scanlon asks this question in an article I've linked at the end of this post. I never will for a simple reason. I will no longer be a Catholic.

Why? Let me explain. When I was younger, I was an 'Anglo-Catholic', an Anglican who believed I was a Catholic. I honestly believed in the 'branch theory', that the Catholic Church had three 'branches', Rome, Constantinople, and the Churches in communion with Canterbury.

In 1970, the Episcopal Church, of which I was a member, approved the 'ordination' of deaconettes. We were absolutely assured that a) this was a 'return to primitive Christianity', and b) that that was as far as it would ever go. 

I immediately realised that this was bollocks. Once women had been 'ordained' to the diaconate, there was absolutely no theological reason for not ordaining priestesses and bishopesses. And so it played out. 

In 1976, priestesses were approved, 'regularising' the 'uncanonical' ordination of the 'Philadelphia Eleven' and the 'Washington Four'. At the same time, bishopesses were authorised, tho' it did take until 1989 for one to be 'consecrated'. 

However, as soon as the decision was taken on deaconettes, I started leaving the Anglican Church. I believed then, and I believe now, that no man has the right or the power to change the divinely ordered constitution of the Church. 

I told a friend of mine, another Anglo-Catholic, I was leaving. He believed the bollocks and begged me to stay, saying that there would never be priestesses or bishopesses. A few years later, I met him in a religious goods shop. Before I could say anything, he said, 'Don't say it! I know, you told me so'. He, his family, most of their Anglican parish, and their pastor had all become Eastern Orthodox.

Now, I'm seeing the same scenario played out in the Catholic Church. Deaconettes being discussed as a 'return to primitive Christianity' and the assurances that there will never be priestesses. I don't believe it. If Francis approves deaconettes, I will have no choice but to believe that Christ lied, the gates of hell have prevailed, and that Christianity is a sham, based on a lie. 
From Fr Regis Scanlon, OFM Cap

Would you like to see a woman deacon giving the homily at your Sunday Mass later this year?   According to a Jan. 22 report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, 1/3 of the United States Bishops would like to see women ordained to the sacramental diaconate and 54% say they would “consider” it.

This study was made as the papal commission set up by Pope Francis in 2016 to study the history of women becoming deacons, “especially with regard to the first ages of the Church”, was coming to an end.  We now await the decision of the Pope as he considers the results of the research on whether or not women were ordained as sacramental deacons in the early days of the Church. “Two other commissions studied the historical role of women deacons since 1992 but neither led to changes.”

Recently it was noted that two out of twelve members of a papal commission designated to study the possibility of ordaining women as deacons, claimed that Church history reveals that women were ordained as deacons in the past presumably with the ability to preach and confer the sacraments.  The two who support women deacons did not offer details about these “ordained” women, for example, if these ordinations were according to Church law or by heretical or rogue bishops. One encouraging fact that this attempt may go nowhere is that two members out of 12 is hardly a sign that the rest of the commission came to the same conclusion.

If the progressives really want to help the Church today, rather than pushing for women deacons, they should act to remove the political barricade set up by the Vatican to prevent any discussion of the real problem in the Church — the problem of sexual abuse of seminarians, teens, young men and vulnerable adult males by homosexual bishops, clergy and members of religious communities. This barricade must be removed before the meeting between the Pope and the conferences of world bishops on Feb. 21 or it may be years — perhaps even after the death of Pope Francis himself– before the Church finally examines the real cause of the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

As for women deacons, the Church has already studied the possibility of consecrating women as sacramental deacons “especially in regard to the first ages of the Church” and found that there is no foundation for such an action. There were women deacons in the early church but they were restricted to helping in services when it was not modest for men to be involved, like on the disrobing and robing of women for baptism.  This is stated explicitly and specifically by 4th century Father of the Church, St. Epiphanius.

For those who wish to read the statement written in the 4th century by St. Epiphanius, Father of the Church. I am including it here, along with the original Latin. For additional information, you may refer to EWTN which offers a translation under the search name St. Epiphanius.

And although the order of deaconesses is in the church, it has not been instituted for priestly function or any such administration, but in order to provide for the modesty of women, to be present at the time of baptism, to see whether she has suffered anything or has been molested, or to assist when the woman’s body has to be disrobed, and so that she may not be exposed to the eyes of men who perform the sacred rite but can be seen only by the deaconess. She, by the priest’s order, takes care of the woman while she is disrobed.

The Latin is:

Quanquam vero diaconissarium in Ecclesia ordo sit, non tamen ad sacerdotii functionem, aut ullam ejusmodi administrationem institutus est, sed ut muliebris sexus honestati consulatur, sive ut baptismi tempore adsit, sive ut inspiciat si quid passa sit, aut molestiae pertulerit, sive ut cum nudandum est mulieris corpus, interveniat: ne virorum, qui sacris operantur, aspectui sit exposita, sed a sola diaconissa videatur; quae sacerdotis inandato mulieris curam gerit, quo tempore vestibus exuitur.”

The information about the source of St. Epiphanius’ statement is also put here for those who wish to research the matter on their own.

 Traditio Catholica, Saeculum V. Annus 403, EPIFANOU, S. P. N. EPIPHANII, Constante in Cypro Episcopi {Opera Quae Reperiri Potuerunt Omnia, accurante et denuo recognoscente J. P. Migne, Patrologiae Graecae Tomus 42, “Adversus Collyridianos” (II), No. 1060, (Turnholti, Belgium): Typographi Brepols Editores Pontificii, n.d.}, pp. 743 & 746. English translation supplied. My parenthesis.