According to an exclusive report on Dailymail, a 13-member special commission made up of seven men and six women, have been appointed by Pope Francis to examine the role of female deacons in the Church, in a potentially historic opening on the possibility of women joining the clergy.
The Vatican said in a statement on Tuesday that the commission will study the question of female deacons with a particular focus on the history of women having played this role in the early years of the Church.
Report revealed that the move follows a pledge made by Francis in May during a question-and-answer session with members of female religious orders.
Advocates of women serving as deacons have long argued that they are pitifully under-represented in the Church’s hierarchy and decision-making processes. So allowing women to enter the clergy at a rank just below a priest would represent a first step towards correcting this imbalance, they argue.
They also insist there is no theological obstacle to the move because of the precedent established by women performing the role in the early centuries of Christianity.
The Vatican did not set a date for the commission to begin work or a deadline for it to reach conclusions.
