Sr Becquart: Inventing "Deaconesses" Could Be Left to Bishops' Conferences
But she thinks it would be "a possibility" to leave the diaconate of women to the individual bishops' conferences (sic).
There is already a diversity of [lay] ministries worldwide, she says: "The synod could emphasise this diversity by further decentralising it".
Sister Becquart believes that Francis cannot or will not make a decision at this time. He has therefore again delegated the issue of women deacons to a commission. At the same time, he is "definitely" open to the "question" of the diaconate for women, but will "take a different path".
Sister Becquart sees her leadership of the Ex-Synod as a consequence of a "decoupling leadership positions from priestly ordination".
Francis is also doing this in the Roman Curia by appointing lay people or women to [useless] positions which previously were reserved for priests, Becquart adds.
She cites an example in France: Five years ago, for the first time, a bishop appointed a woman as general delegate alongside his vicar general.
Picture: Nathalie Becquart, © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsRentpndcib
