The last two years have been difficult for everyone, including the International Diaconate Centre (IDZ). The coronavirus pandemic is one reason why our work has slowed down. Furthermore, the untimely death of our dear friend Dr Stefan Sander in November 2020 hit us very hard.
He was the director of the IDZ and editor of the journal DIACONIA CHRISTI; consequently, his death caused further delays in our work. One result of this is the late publication of this issue. During this period of transition, we have made some changes: From now on, an editorial committee will take over the role of editor instead of a single person; it will consist of seven members and will be coordinated by our new managing director, Deacon Jörg Stein.
Work on this edition of DIACONIA CHRISTI began more than two years ago. In 2016, Pope Francis established a commission to examine whether women should be admitted to the diaconate in the Church of the Latin Rite. Although Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II ruled against the ordination of women to the priesthood, both popes remained silent on the question of whether women should be admitted to the diaconate. The International Theological Commission (ITC), led by Cardinal Ratzinger, had spent several years researching this issue and had concluded that the ordination of women to the diaconate remained an open question. The first papal commission concluded its work without reaching a clear conclusion; Pope Francis subsequently stated that the time was not yet ripe and that further research was needed. Since one of the aims of our centre is to promote the theology of the diaconate, we decided that the IDZ should also foster dialogue and the process of discernment on this specific issue of the diaconate of women. Many developments have taken place over the past two years, that is, since this article was written. A second papal commission was established. Furthermore, Pope Francis opened up the institutionalised ministries of lector and acolyte to women. Then, last May, the newly established ministry of catechist was also made available to women. These initiatives by Pope Francis could prove to be of great significance for the future development of the question of the diaconate for women.
This issue of DIACONIA CHRISTI comprises six articles. One of these (Reininger) examines the current state of affairs regarding the diaconate for women; two articles (Ditewig and Hartmann) argue in favour of it, whilst two (Bendinelli and Morgan) argue against it. The final article (Kobusch) discusses women who feel called to the diaconate. The IDZ presents these contributions in the hope that they will contribute to the dialogue and the Church’s discernment process regarding the admission of women to the diaconate. May we, as a Church, continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that the diaconate may continue to develop and grow throughout the world!
Grace and peace!
Gerald W. DuPont, President of the IDZ