A newly published book offers insights into Pope Francis’ views on various issues, including whether or not women can be ordained deacons.
The book, originally written in Spanish and recently translated into Italian, is titled, in English, “Pope Francis the Pastor, Disaffections, Reasons and Reflections on His Pontificate.” Written by Argentine journalist Sergio Rubín and Italian journalist Francesca Ambrogetti, these two journalists had co-authored, “The Jesuit,” a biographical book on Jorge Bergoglio before Pope Francis was elected pope.
This topic is especially pertinent after the recently concluded universal phase of the Synod on Synodality in Rome, where questions surrounding the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate were discussed.
Pope Francis’ position on women in ordained ministry
In the book, Pope Francis discusses the role of women by invoking the Marian and Petrine dimensions. He states, “It is a theological problem. I believe that we amputate the being of the Church if we only consider the priestly ministry.” While the Petrine aspect is often seen as male-centered and ministerial, Francis calls attention to the Marian principle, saying it is “even more important.” He asserts that the Marian dimension represents “femininity in the Church,” clarifying, “Because, I insist, women are more like the Church, which is woman and wife.”
The Petrine dimension, influenced by the apostolic role of St. Peter, refers to the hierarchical, institutional aspects of the Church, including governance and doctrinal authority. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI emphasized its role in ensuring unity and fidelity in the Church’s teaching.
Inspired by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Marian dimension represents the receptive, communal aspects of the Church. Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar and Pope John Paul II highlight Mary as the model of perfect discipleship and the Church’s orientation towards a loving relationship with God.
Both dimensions are vital: the Petrine provides structure and doctrine, while the Marian contributes lived faith and love. These concepts inform ongoing debates within the Church, including the role of women in ordained ministry.
Why changes are unlikely
These views, expressed in Rubín’s and Ambrogetti’s book align closely with what has been reported in a 2020 interview with the Holy Father in America Magazine, a Jesuit publication. In discussing ordaining women to Holy Orders, Pope Francis asks the rhetorical question, “And why can a woman not enter ordained ministry? It is because the Petrine principle has no place for that.” This seems to suggest that the limits of his Petrine office omit the possibility of ordaining women, mirroring the argument for priestly ordination found in Ordinatio sacerdotalis.
Ordinatio sacerdotalis is an apostolic letter issued by Pope John Paul II in 1994, which definitively states that the Roman Catholic Church does not have the authority to ordain women to the priesthood. The document cites tradition and the example of Jesus Christ, who chose only men as his apostles. This teaching belongs to the “deposit of faith” and is to be definitively held by all the faithful.
Beyond the reasons cited above, two additional reasons indicate Pope Francis is unlikely to change the Church’s stance on ordaining women to Holy Orders, including to the diaconate.
Divine Revelation
Pope Francis has consistently emphasized that any change in the Church’s structure must be grounded in divine revelation. He states in the book, “The problem is that there is no certainty as to whether they are deaconesses or collaborators without sacramental ordination.”
Because the question is fundamentally theological in nature, it concerns Church doctrine and, as a result, must be grounded in divine revelation. As Pope Francis observes, this is the sole criterion for determining the validity of admitting women to the diaconate.
Speaking to the 21st Assembly of the International Union of Women Superiors in 2019 on this very subject, the pope said, “I can’t do a decree of a sacramental nature without having a theological, historical foundation for it.” He continues by saying, “In regard to the diaconate, we must see what was there in the beginning of revelation. If there was something, let it grow and it arrives, but if there was not, if the Lord did not want a sacramental ministry for women, it can’t go forward.” For Pope Francis, reflecting the long theological tradition, it is ultimately about the mind of God as expressed in divine revelation.
Canon law
Very recent additions in Book VI of the Code of Canon Law, additions approved by the Holy Father as supreme legislator of the Church, now criminalize the ordination of women. This section, promulgated June 1, 2021, deals with sanctions, offenses and penalties. Canon 1379 §3 states: “Both the one who tries to confer a sacred order on a woman and the woman who tries to receive it, incurs a penalty of excommunication latae sententiae reserved to the Holy See; the responsible cleric may also be punished by exclusion from the clerical state.”
It should be kept in mind that this addition was approved by Pope Francis during the 2020 Commission on Women and the Diaconate. Because of Canon 1379 §3, it seems quite unlikely that the Holy Father will rule in favor of the ordination of women to the diaconate.
The role of women in the Catholic Church remains a complex issue deeply rooted in theological principles. Although Pope Francis has made strides in including women in administrative and consultative roles, the question of sacramental ordination seems unlikely to change, given current canonical laws and theological understanding. Pope Francis seems to underscore that women have a different but equally important role to play in the Church, based on the Marian dimension, making it less likely that he will admit women to the diaconate.
