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VATICAN CITY, 17 OCT. The International Theological Commission
(ITC) announced that its recent document on the diaconate excludes the
possibility of the ordination of women to the diaconate. Fr Georges
Cottier, O.P., General Secretary of the ITC, stated that the
commission's study "tends to support the exclusion" of
ordaining women to the diaconate. Some reports stated that the
commission's study left the issue open. Fr Cottier noted that the
Commission does not have "the role of pronouncing with the
authority, which is characteristic of the Magisterium". Yet the
panel "presented two important indications which emerge from study
of the matter". First, "the Commission observed that the
deaconesses mentioned in the tradition of the early Church cannot simply
be assimilated to ordained deacons", the statement continued. Fr
Cottier noted that both the rite of institution and the functions
exercised by deaconesses were different from those of ordained deacons.
Secondly, Fr Cottier noted that the Commission reaffirmed the unity of
the sacrament. The distinction between the ministry of bishops and
priests and that of deacons is contained within the unity of the
sacrament of Orders. Here is the statement of the ITC issued by the
General Secretary.
The General Secretary of the International Theological Commission, Fr
Georges Cottier, O.P., has responded to certain questions about the
Commission's study of the diaconate raised by the 8 October issue of La
Croix. Fr Cottier stated that the Commission's study has not
concluded that the possibility that women could be ordained to the
diaconate remains open, as asserted by La Croix, but rather tends
to support the exclusion of this possibility.
The Commission of theologians, even if it does not have the role of
pronouncing with the authority, which is characteristic of the
Magisterium, presented two important indications which emerge from study
of the matter. In the first place, the Commission observed that the
deaconesses mentioned in the tradition of the early Church cannot simply
be assimilated to ordained deacons. In support of this conclusion, Fr
Cottier noted that both the rite of institution and the functions
exercised by deaconesses distinguished them from ordained deacons.
Furthermore, Fr Cottier noted that the Commission's study reaffirmed
the unity of the sacrament of Holy Orders. The distinction between the
ministry of bishops and priests, on the one hand, and that of deacons on
the other hand, is nonetheless embraced within the unity of the
sacrament of Holy Orders. The Commission's reaffirmation of this
teaching arose from a careful study of the ecclesial tradition, of the
documents of the Second Vatican Council, and of the post-conciliar
Magisterium of the Church.
Fr Cottier stated that "it belongs to the Magisterium to
pronounce with authority on the question, taking into account the
historical and theological research presented by the study of the
International Theological Commission".
The International Theological Commission devoted over five years of
research to the topic of the history and theology of the diaconate
before approving the text of its study at its recently concluded
meeting. The study was produced at the request of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith.
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