The Synod issued recommendations calling for an expanded role for women in the Church.
The second session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly in the Vatican concluded Saturday evening, following nearly four weeks of discussions, without clear expectations for concrete reforms. Delegates approved recommendations encouraging women to assume more leadership roles, though they fell short of granting full equality. Pope Francis convened the global Synod of Bishops, which began on October 2, to discuss the future of the Catholic Church. This session was the second of two gatherings held one year apart, with 368 bishops, clergy, and laypeople from over 110 countries participating, including nearly 60 women with voting rights.
Synod Leaves Women’s Diaconate Open for Future Consideration
Proponents of an expanded role for women hoped the Synod would advocate for ordaining women as deacons. However, the 52-page final document only states that “there is no reason or barrier preventing women from holding leadership roles in the Church,” without specifying what those roles might entail. The document adds, “Women still face obstacles in gaining fuller recognition… across all areas of Church life.”
Deacons perform many of the same duties as priests—officiating baptisms, marriages, and funerals—but cannot lead Mass. Advocates argue that allowing women to serve as deacons could help address the priest shortage. Opponents fear this step could lead to the ordination of women into the priesthood, which Pope Francis has repeatedly upheld as male-only. Before the Synod, Pope Francis created ten working groups to discuss contentious issues, including women’s potential future eligibility for ordination as deacons, a proposal supported by several Church leaders in Germany.
Yet, Pope Francis noted that “the time has not yet arrived” for this change. Access to the diaconate for women “remains an open question,” according to the statement, and the Pope has yet to clarify which recommendations will be implemented or in what form. “Now is the time for making decisions affecting the whole Church,” he remarked in his closing address.
