From Paul to Phoebe to Pope Leo, the arc of faith bends toward inclusion, justice, and Gospel equality. May the Church once again embrace women deacons, for the life of the world.
In the Letter to the Romans, Paul commends Phoebe as diakonos of the church at Cenchreae and urges the community to welcome her and assist her in her ministry (Rom 16:1–2). The term Paul uses for Phoebe is the same one he applies to Timothy and Tychicus. From the very beginnings of Christianity, the witness of Scripture affirms that women were not only disciples and missionaries but also deacons.
As the Church faces its future under the leadership of Pope Leo, this ancient truth presses upon us once more: the time has come to restore women to the diaconate.
Historical Witness of Women Deacons
For centuries, women deacons were integral to the Church’s sacramental and pastoral life.
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The Didascalia Apostolorum (3rd century) directs bishops to appoint women deacons to minister to women in baptism and pastoral care.
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The Constitutiones Apostolicae (4th century) includes women deacons in the ranks of clergy, consecrated through the laying on of hands.
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The Council of Chalcedon (451) explicitly legislated the ordination of women deacons, requiring candidates to be at least 40 years old. The term cheirotonia—ordination by the bishop’s hand—confirms that this was a sacramental act.
The names of these women still speak to us: Olympias the Deacon, friend of St. John Chrysostom, renowned for her leadership and service in Constantinople; Epiktas the Deaconess of Ostia, honored on her tombstone; Sofia the Deacon of Jerusalem; and Gorgonia the Deacon of Gaul. Their existence is not conjecture but historical fact, inscribed in stone and parchment.
Even into the 11th and 12th centuries, ordination rites for women deacons appear in the Western Pontificals. The Byzantine Euchologion preserved prayers for ordaining women deacons that mirrored those used for men.
This is not a hidden tradition—it is our tradition.
Modern Study and Vatican Commissions
The 20th and 21st centuries have brought renewed study and dialogue on women in the diaconate:
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Pope Paul VI restored the permanent diaconate after Vatican II but left the question of women open.
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The International Theological Commission (2002) acknowledged the historical presence of women deacons, even while hesitating on sacramentality.
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Pope Francis established two commissions (2016, 2020), whose scholarship confirmed once again the presence of ordained women deacons in the early Church.
The question is no longer whether women served as deacons—they did. The question is whether today’s Church has the courage to restore what was lost.
Prophetic Voices
Contemporary prophets are clear:
Former Irish President Mary McAleese declares,
“The exclusion of women from ministry is not the teaching of Christ. It is the legacy of a clerical culture more committed to self-preservation than to Gospel equality.”
Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister insists,
“The question is not whether the Church can ordain women—it has before. The question is whether it has the courage to be faithful now to the Spirit that breathes where it will.”
And I have written elsewhere:
“Restoring women deacons is not innovation; it is retrieval. It is honoring the gifts of the Spirit already alive in the Church, in service, preaching, and leadership.”
A Prophetic Call to Pope Leo
As Pope Leo begins his ministry, he faces a kairos moment in the history of the Church. To restore women to the diaconate would not be a rupture with tradition, but a healing of rupture. It would be an act of justice and fidelity to the Gospel, echoing Paul’s commendation of Phoebe and affirming the countless women today who already live a diaconal vocation in their communities.
The world is watching. The People of God are waiting. History is clear. The Spirit is calling.
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