Women deacons have become the subject of a growing debate in the Catholic Church. Currently, the Catholic Church does not ordain women as deacons. But there is significant historical evidence for them. Today, Catholics around the world are discussing, debating and discerning the prospect of restoring women deacons. Could women deacons make a comeback in the Catholic Church?

Chapters:
00:00 The state of the question
1:19 What is a deacon?
2:31 In the beginning, there were deacons
5:26 The complicated history of women deacons
7:09 The decline of women deacons
8:44 The renewal of the diaconate
11:32 “Why not set up a commission?”
16:13 Why ordination matters
19:55 Women deacons: to be determined…

To read a transcript of this video and other content on women deacons in the Catholic Church, visit: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/09/09/women-deacons-synod-transcript-commentary-248752

Featuring commentary by:

• Sheila Pires is the Secretary of the Commission for Information for the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, and a delegate to the synod. She is the Communications Officer for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference
• Bishop W. Shawn McKnight is the bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City, MO and author of, “Understanding the Diaconate: Historical, Theological, and Sociological Foundations.”
• Deacon William Ditewig, PhD, is the author of “Courageous Humility: Reflections on the Church, Diakonia and Deacons,” and numerous other books on the diaconate. He is a deacon of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC and holds a BA in Philosophy, an MA in Education, an MA in Pastoral Theology, and the Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies from the Catholic University of America.

Credits:
Writer and director: Sebastian Gomes
Narrator: Molly Cahill
Director of Photography, editor and graphics: Adam Buchmueller
Animator: Rens Wegerif
Production Assistant: Kevin Christopher Robles
Images: Pilar Timpane, Our Sunday Visitor, CBS News, CNN, Vatican News

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