The
concern that many religious women have about ordination of women to the diaconate is the question of where they would fit in the hierarchical
order of the Catholic Church. While many
would like to think all are equal, the Church is not a democratic society. There is a hierarchical assumption that opens
doors for some that are closed for others, that gives privilege and deference to
some that is not given to others. This is
a reality that can’t be denied and must be considered within the question of ordaining
women to the diaconate. In fact, the
opposition of some to women’s ordination is an underlying belief that women
should not be given a higher rank in the Church. Pope Francis implied when he
raised the concern that ordaining women to the diaconate would be problematic
for him because he is trying to weed out clericalism. He does not want women added to the ranks of
people who seek a clerical status out of a desire for power or control.
When
women were ordained to the diaconate in the Early Church, their rank had to be
clarified. They were not subordinate to a priest, but to the bishop who
ordained them. They had a supervisory
role over consecrated virgins and widows who were instructed to obey the
instructions of women deacons. If women
were ordained to the diaconate today, and this same hierarchical structure were
assumed, that would place consecrated religious in a status subordinate to women
deacons. This would impact congregations
of religious women and cause havoc in congregations that have a mix of ordained
and non-ordained members. Would the ordained
sister be under the authority of her major superior or the bishop? If the entire congregation were ordained
would they all be under the bishop? These
obstacles are being discussed by religious communities and their leadership now.
However,
this hierarchical question has not caused a problem for male deacons. Their place in the hierarchy is under the local
bishop who ordained them, and they are assigned to the cathedral or to local parishes
to support the priest. This organization
has not had a negative impact on the chain of authority in congregations of religious
brothers, such as the Christian Brothers.
Questions of rank and authority need to be spelled out clearly before
women are ordained to the diaconate. It is not a likely outcome that consecrated
religious would be subordinate to women deacons, or that women deacons would be
supervising religious women. It is not
likely that many women religious would want to be ordained to the diaconate if
it placed them under the authority of a bishop rather than the major superior
of their own congregation. After
studying the topic of women’s ordination for several years, I have come to a
better understanding of the issue. My
conclusion is that the Church is not ready to ordain women to the priesthood,
but the time is right to ordain women to the diaconate.
