USA Today: Catholic Church not yet ready to let women serve as deacons
Perhaps someday, the Catholic Church will allow women to serve as deacons. But that time, a Vatican commission has decided, is not now.
The Vatican’s decision was excoriated by the Women’s Ordination Conference, a national group that has long advocated for women’s ordination in the Church.
“The Women’s Ordination Conference is appalled by the Vatican’s refusal to open its doors to women, even a crack,” Kate McElwee, the group’s executive director, said in a statement. “Make no mistake: this is a decision that will harm the global church.”
Few will have the patience, McElwee said, to wait out the further discussion suggested by the Vatican commission. She questioned the seriousness of the group’s consideration given the lack of female input and noted that only 8 of 10 members voted on the issue, “adding more doubt that this commission functioned with any deep consultation or courage to respond to the signs of the time.”