Today, the Vatican published the results of its second study commission on women deacons. It said that women cannot be admitted to the diaconate “as understood as a degree of holy orders.”
However, it stopped short of an unequivocal “no” to women deacons, saying that while the commission’s “assessment is strong… it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time, as in the case of priestly ordination.”
Stay tuned to Inside the Vatican for a more in-depth look at this story, and read Gerard O’Connell’s report here: <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/vatican-dispatch/2025/12/04/women-deacons-vatican-commission/">Vatican report says no to ordaining women deacons—for now</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

The women deacons commission report, explained

Each week, Colleen Dulle goes behind the headlines of the biggest Vatican news stories with America’s Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell. They'll break down complicated news stories that have a whole lot of history behind them in an understandable, engaging way. Colleen and Gerard will give you the inside scoop on what people inside the Vatican are thinking, saying—and planning.