Vatican commission says no to female diaconate, though judgment ‘not definitive’

A report presenting the results of the so-called Petrocchi Commission’s work has been released. It rules out admitting women to the diaconate, understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders, but says that it is not currently possible “to formulate a definitive judgment, as in the case of priestly ordination.” Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi spoke of “the existence of ‘an intense dialectic’ between two theological orientations.” For this reason, according to the Cardinal, it is essential that there be “continued study,” despite four years of consultation and meetings.