an in-flight press conference<\/a>\u00a0May 7. The pope had said that while the commission had stopped working as a group, they would continue their studies in the area individually.<\/p>\nIn his May 10 audience with 850 UISG members, in Rome for the group\u2019s triennial assembly, the pontiff gave a bit more detail. Some on the commission, he said, thought the church \u201cmust go forward\u201d and reinstitute an order of women deacons. Others, he said, \u201csay we must stop here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must study this,\u201d said Francis. \u201cI cannot make a sacramental decree without a theological, historical foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reiterating that the commission members are now expected to continue their studies individually, the pope added: \u201cWe will go ahead. After some time, I may call the members of the commission to see what they have found.\u201d<\/p>\n
After hearing the pope\u2019s initial remarks about the women deacons commission, one sister told Francis that women like her were seeking to serve the church on an equal setting with men. She asked why the question of whether women could serve as deacons rested on historical practice.<\/p>\n
The pontiff responded that the church develops its teachings \u201cin fidelity with revelation.\u201d He said the nature of revelation is \u201ccontinual movement to clarify itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way of understanding the faith today, after Vatican II, is different than the way of understanding the faith before Vatican II,\u201d said Francis. \u201cBecause there was a development of understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The awareness of faith, the pope said, \u201cgrows with the years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in continual growth,\u201d he said. \u201cNot change. It grows. It gets wider with time. It is understood better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I see that this, what we think now, is in connection with revelation, good,\u201d said Francis. \u201cBut if it is a strange thing that is not according to revelation \u2026 it doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the case of the diaconate, we have to see what was there at the beginning of revelation,\u201d said the pope. \u201cIf there was something, let it grow, let it live. If there was not something \u2026 it doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot go beyond revelation and dogmatic expressions,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are Catholics. If someone wants to make another church, they are free to do so.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read it all.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Holy Father had an audience at the Vatican with members of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), and elaborated on his earlier comments about ordaining women as deacons: The pontiff repeated his earlier remarks that the 12 members of the commission had been unable to come to agreement about the role of women […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":47822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,39],"tags":[1413,12473],"class_list":["post-298301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deacons","category-pope","tag-pope-francis","tag-women-deacons"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n