On the second day of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, Cardinal VĂctor Manuel Fernández said:
“There is still no room for a positive decision by the Magisterium regarding the access of women to the diaconate, understood as a degree of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.”
The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith added that while the topic remains open for study, “the Holy Father himself recently confirmed this consideration publicly.”
Cardinal Fernández suggested they will instead focus on the lives of women who have “exercised genuine authority and power in support of the Church’s mission” without sacramental ordination. He cited saints like Joan of Arc as examples of women whose influence was rooted in baptism and confirmation.
“Otherwise, the diaconate becomes a consolation prize for certain women, and the more decisive question of the participation of women in the Church will be neglected,” he warned.
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