Overview
- The report from the Second Study Commission, chaired by Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, says current research rules out admitting women to the diaconate when understood as a degree of Holy Orders.
- It states that a definitive doctrinal judgment cannot be made at this time and urges rigorous, wide‑ranging study of the diaconate’s identity and mission.
- Formal votes recorded internal divisions, including a 7–1 vote in July 2022 for the core conclusion and a 9–1 vote encouraging expanded instituted ministries for women.
- The commission recommends creating and broadening non‑ordained ministries and valorizing baptismal diakonia to recognize women’s service in the Church.
- External submissions were few—22 from limited countries—so the panel judged them unrepresentative; the work concluded in February, a seven‑page synthesis was sent on September 18, and Pope Leo XIV ordered its publication.