Vienna, Austria, Sep 29, 2018 / 07:57 am
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said that in his view, whether the Church could ordain women as deacons remains an "open question."
The Archbishop of Vienna was speaking Sept. 29 to 1700 delegates from parish councils and other bodies in St. Stephen's Cathedral. Reflecting that he recently had ordained 14 men to the permanent diaconate, he added, according to local news agency Kathpress, "perhaps one day also female deacons."
Schönborn said that there had been female deacons in the Church in times past, and that "basically, this [question] is open."
Pope Francis has spoken often about the importance of the role of women in the Church. In 2016 he appointed a new commission to examine the possibility of ordaining women to the permanent diaconate.