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Pope could consider women serving as deacons

<p>The newest advocate for women empowerment just might be the Catholic Church.&nbsp;</p><p>Pope Francis said he will organize a commission to study the possibility of women becoming deacons in the church.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c3a6.htm" target="_blank">Currently, only men</a>&nbsp;can become ordained ministers, like deacons, priests or bishops, but&nbsp;<a href="http://www.womenpriests.org/traditio/past_ovr.asp" target="_blank">supporters of women filling these roles</a>&nbsp;argue there were women leaders in the early church.</p><p>Francis has already allowed more female participation in the church such as when he allowed women to take part in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/03/24/pope-francis-has-decreed-that-women-can-take-part-in-the-foot-washing-ritual-today-maundy-thursday/" target="_blank">a foot-washing ritual that celebrates Holy Thursday</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>The pope&#39;s decision to encourage this study reaffirms his more open views on current issues compared to previous popes.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html" target="_blank">Former Pope John Paul II cited</a>&nbsp;the 12 male disciples that followed Jesus as a reason why women shouldn&#39;t become priests.&nbsp;</p><p>But that doesn&#39;t mean female priests don&#39;t still preach to Catholics.&nbsp;<a href="http://romancatholicwomenpriests.org/" target="_blank">Roman Catholic Womenpriests</a>&nbsp; a group the Catholic Church doesn&#39;t recognize has ordained more than 100 women into the role. All of those women&nbsp;<a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/09/16/440254032/in-defiance-of-the-church-some-catholic-women-seeking-priesthood" target="_blank">have been automatically excommunicated</a>&nbsp;from the church.&nbsp;</p><p><i>This video includes clips from the&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4nXV1hKDJM" target="_blank">Vatican</a></i><i>,&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW0SPLFSW_8" target="_blank">NJ.com</a></i><i>,&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo25REZDvWA" target="_blank">WJLA</a></i><i>,&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hni1dDFhf-E" target="_blank">Catholic Diocese of Lincoln</a></i><i>&nbsp;and images from Getty Images,&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Paul_II_Medal_of_Freedom_2004.jpg" target="_blank">the White House</a></i><i>,&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Synaxis_of_the_Twelve_Apostles_by_Constantinople_master_(early_14th_c.,_Pushkin_museum).jpg" target="_blank">The Synaxis of the holy and the most praiseworthy Twelve Apostles</a></i><i>,&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stbrigid.jpg" target="_blank">Saint Brigid of Ireland</a></i><i>&nbsp;and&nbsp;</i><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D5%8D%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AF%D5%A1%D6%82%D5%A1%D5%A3%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B0%D5%AB.jpg" target="_blank">Peter Carapetian</a></i><i>.&nbsp;</i></p>
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis says he's willing to create a commission to study whether women can serve as deacons in the Catholic Church, signaling the possibility of letting women serve in ordained ministry.

Deacons are ordained ministers but are not priests. Currently, the church allows married men to be deacons but not priests. The pope in no way signaled during a meeting Thursday with superiors of women's religious orders that he would allow women priests.

But asked during a question-and-answer session if he would create a commission to study whether women could be deacons, as in the early church, Francis said he was open to the idea, the National Catholic Reporter reported.

The publication quoted Francis as saying: "It seems useful to me to have a commission that would clarify this well."

Associated Press 2016