Yesterday, in what was described as a landmark moment, Pope Francis gave his approval to the establishment of a commission to study the possibility of ordaining women as deacons in the Catholic Church.
Traditional news outlets and social media have both been abuzz with comments hailing this action as being grounded in and recovered from history. It is news that well-known Jesuit Priest Father James Martin says brings “immense joy.” He goes on to point out, “women deacons would be able to baptize, preside at marriages and funerals, and preach during various liturgies [and] their preaching would mean that the church would finally be able to hear, from the pulpit, the experience of over half its members.”
Ordain Women shares the excitement of many of our Catholic sisters and brothers over this development. We echo the words of our colleague and fellow warrior, Kate McElwee, co-executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, who, in her comments to Religion News Service (RNS), described the move as a “huge step.”
Ordain Women will be watching to see the results of this commission and will continue to hope, pray, and advocate that LDS Church leaders will pray and seek revelation about ordaining women to the priesthood in the LDS Church.