The Petrocchi Commission has concluded that admitting women to the diaconate, understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders, is not possible. The commission's assessment is based on Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Church’s Magisterium. The report, requested by Pope Francis, was sent to Pope Leo XIV and is now being made public. The commission's work examined the possibility of ordaining women as deacons.
12 days ago
The Petrocchi Commission, established by Pope Francis, has concluded that admitting women to the diaconate as a sacrament of Holy Orders is not feasible based on Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and Church Magisterium.1 This assessment, detailed in a report sent to Pope Leo XIV on September 18, 2025, and released publicly on December 4, 2025, stops short of a definitive judgment, similar to discussions on priestly ordination.1
The Commission's first session in 2021 acknowledged historical instances of women deaconesses in various times and places, but without a consistent meaning.1 Theological analysis unanimously raised concerns about compatibility with Catholic doctrine on ordained ministry.1 The report emphasizes the need for further study on the diaconate's sacramental identity and ecclesial role, noting its limited or undefined presence in many regions.1
In July 2022, the Commission voted 7-1 against proceeding with women's ordination to the diaconate as Holy Orders.1 The February 2025 session reviewed Synod contributions from only 22 sources across few countries, deeming them insufficient to represent the broader Church.1 A proposal linking Christ's masculinity to sacramental identity split the vote 5-5.1
Proponents cite biblical equality (Galatians 3:28), equal dignity as God's image, and modern social progress toward gender equity in roles.1 Opponents argue that the male-only ordination preserves the nuptial meaning of salvation and the unity of Holy Orders' three degrees.1 The Commission highlights an ongoing theological dialectic: one view sees diaconate as ministerial and open to women, while the other insists on its integration with priesthood.1
By a 9-1 vote, the Commission urged expanding women's access to instituted ministries to recognize baptized women's diakonia, especially against gender discrimination.1 It supports new ministries fostering synergy between men and women, viewing this as a prophetic sign.1 Cardinal Petrocchi calls for rigorous examination of the diaconate to clarify its pastoral aspects before any further decisions.1
Can women be ordained deacons according to Catholic doctrine?
The Catholic Church's doctrine on the sacrament of Holy Orders, which includes the diaconate as one of its three degrees (bishop, priest, and deacon), maintains that ordination is reserved exclusively to men. This teaching stems from the Church's understanding of the sacramental sign instituted by Christ, where the ordained minister represents Christ the Bridegroom in relation to the Church as Bride. While historical roles like deaconesses existed, they were not equivalent to the ordained diaconate, and contemporary discernment has not altered this reservation. The question of women's access to diaconal ministry remains under reflection, but current doctrine does not permit the sacramental ordination of women as deacons.
The diaconate is a sacramental ordination within the one sacrament of Holy Orders, conferring a sacred power (sacra potestas) through the laying on of hands by the bishop and a consecratory prayer. This ordination integrates the recipient into the clerical state, enabling service in the ministry of the word, liturgy, charity, and pastoral governance under the bishop's authority. Unlike the common priesthood of all the baptized, the ministerial priesthood—including the diaconate—is a participation in Christ's priesthood in a distinct, hierarchical way. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly describes ordination as integrating "a man" into the orders of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, emphasizing that this act goes beyond mere delegation and imprints an indelible character.
The Second Vatican Council's Lumen Gentium affirms that deacons receive the imposition of hands "not unto the priesthood, but unto a ministry of service," strengthening them with sacramental grace for diakonia (service) in liturgy, word, and charity. This ministry includes administering baptism, distributing the Eucharist, assisting at marriages, preaching, and leading prayer, all in communion with the bishop. The restoration of the permanent diaconate in the Latin Church, as decreed by Pope Paul VI in 1967, was intended to address pastoral needs while preserving its sacramental character, and it applies to men of mature age, including married ones, or young men bound by celibacy. No provision is made for women in this sacramental context.
Church tradition includes references to deaconesses in the early centuries, particularly in Eastern rites, where women assisted in baptizing women for modesty's sake, guarding doors during liturgy, and other service roles. However, these women were not ordained to the diaconate as understood today. The International Theological Commission (ITC) in its 2002 document, updated in reflections through 2022, concludes that "the deaconesses mentioned in the tradition of the ancient Church—as evidenced by the rite of institution and the functions they exercised—were not purely and simply equivalent to the deacons." For instance, ancient texts like the Apostolic Constitutions specify that a deaconess "does not bless, nor perform anything belonging to the office of presbyters or deacons, but only is to keep the doors, and to minister to the presbyters in the baptizing of women, on account of decency."
Deaconesses often ranked among minor orders or instituted ministries, not the major orders of bishop, priest, and deacon. Their "ordination" was more akin to a blessing or sacramental, rooted in the baptismal priesthood rather than the sacrament of Holy Orders. This distinction aligns with the Church's teaching that while lay ministries like lector and acolyte—now open to women by Pope Francis's 2021 motu proprio Spiritus Domini—stem from Baptism and can be entrusted to all the faithful, ordained ministries remain reserved to men due to their essential link to the hierarchical priesthood. The ITC underscores the unity of Holy Orders, where the diaconate shares the same sacramental essence as the episcopate and presbyterate, differing only in degree.
The Church's inability to ordain women to Holy Orders, including the diaconate, is rooted in divine positive law, as articulated by Pope John Paul II in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (1994): the Church "has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women," a judgment to be "definitively held by all the Church's faithful." Although the diaconate is not the priesthood proper, it forms part of the unified sacrament of Orders, serving as a stable degree in the hierarchy. Theologically, the ordained minister must sacramentally configure to Christ the Head, who is male, to represent the spousal relationship between Christ and the Church (cf. Ephesians 5:25-32). Opening the diaconate to women would undermine this sign, as the ITC notes in emphasizing the diaconate's indelible character and grace for clerical service.
Pope Francis has reaffirmed this, distinguishing between the ordained diaconate and possible non-ordained diaconal roles for women. In interviews and synodal contexts, he has stated that women cannot access Holy Orders but has encouraged reflection on lay ministries to express the baptismal priesthood's richness. The two priesthoods—hierarchical and baptismal—collaborate but are essentially distinct, with the former reserved to men as a sign of Christ the Servant who became incarnate as male.
The Synod on Synodality's Final Document (2024), approved by Pope Francis as part of the ordinary Magisterium, acknowledges women's equal dignity by Baptism and their vital contributions to Church life, from evangelization to leadership. It calls for fuller implementation of Canon Law's provisions for women's roles and states: "Additionally, the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open. This discernment needs to continue." This reflects ongoing theological study but does not constitute a doctrinal change; it invites further prayerful consideration without overturning the reservation of Holy Orders to men.
Pope Paul VI's restoration of the permanent diaconate and subsequent papal addresses, such as those by John Paul II in 1997, emphasize deacons' service in preaching, sacraments, and charity, always in a male clerical context, often highlighting married deacons' family support. No magisterial document has authorized women's sacramental ordination to the diaconate.
According to Catholic doctrine, women cannot be ordained as deacons, as the diaconate is a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders, indelibly reserved to men by Christ's institution and the Church's authoritative teaching. Historical deaconesses served in non-ordained capacities, and while the Church values women's diakonia through baptismal charisms, any new instituted ministries would differ from sacramental ordination. The Synod's call for continued discernment underscores the Church's synodal path but reaffirms fidelity to tradition. For those seeking deeper involvement, the Church encourages women in lay leadership, catechesis, and service, always in communion with the hierarchical ministry.