Pope Francis to study possibility of women deacons

Pope Francis stated that the Vatican should study the possibility of having women serving as deacons in the Catholic Church.

This was said during the pontiff's conference with some 900 senior nuns from all over the world at the triennial assembly of the International Union of Superiors General at the Vatican on Thursday, May 12.

According to the National Catholic Reporter, the women religious cited that women in the early church used to serve as deacons and asked the pontiff why they're being excluded now. They urged, "Why not construct an official commission that might study the question?"

"Constituting an official commission that might study the question?" the pontiff mused. "It would do good for the church to clarify this point. I am in agreement. I will speak to do something like this. It seems useful to me to have a commission that would clarify this well."

The pope also agreed that the women's involvement in the church has been very weak and that the Church should move forward.

"Opening a commission to study the diaconate for women would be a great step for the Vatican in recognizing its own history," the Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) said in a statement. "While WOC celebrates this step from the Vatican, until women are included in all decision-making structures and as priests and Bishops of the Church, equality remains painfully denied."

Vatican Radio reports that the pope wants women to be more involved in the decision-making positions in the Church. The pope believes that women look at life with true eyes and see things differently from men. Thus, women are complementary and should always be present whenever there are consultations. He is quoted to frequently refer to women as "feminine genius."

However, when it comes to preaching homilies at Mass, the pope was clear in stating that only priests can do so because they are acting in the person of Christ.