By Charles Igwe
Pope Francis, in an interview for a recently released book, reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s position on the role of women in holy orders, emphasizing that “holy orders are reserved for men.”
In the book titled “The Shepherd: Struggles, Reasons, and Thoughts on His Papacy,” initially published in Spanish in June, the Pope responded to questions about women’s roles in the Church. The Italian version of the book, titled “You Are Not Alone: Challenges, Answers, Hopes,” was released on October 24.
Regarding the possibility of women serving as deacons, Pope Francis explained that the diaconate is the first level of holy orders in the Catholic Church, followed by the priesthood and the episcopate. He mentioned that he established commissions in 2016 and 2020 to further examine this question, building on a study from the 1980s by the International Theological Commission, which compared the role of deaconesses in the early Church to the blessings given by abbesses.
When questioned about his stance against female priesthood, Pope Francis described it as a theological issue, expressing concerns about undermining the essence of the Church if the focus is solely on the priestly ministry. He stressed that women play a crucial role as the reflection of Jesus’ bride, the Church, and their exclusion from ministerial life is not a deprivation. He pointed to a need for improved catechesis in explaining these matters, moving away from an administrative approach that he believes is unsustainable in the long term.
Pope Francis also addressed the idea that women’s ordination could attract more people to the Church and that optional priestly celibacy could alleviate shortages of priests.
He disagreed with these perspectives, highlighting the cultural factors at play. He cited the example of Lutherans, who ordain women and allow priests to marry, but still face challenges in growing the number of ministers.
He cautioned against expecting programmatic changes to be the solution, emphasizing that deeper, paradigmatic shifts are necessary. He pointed to his 2019 letter to German Catholics as an avenue for further exploration of these issues.
