Pope Francis has said that the historical role of female deacons needs to be studied and that he will ask the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) whether such research has been carried out. At a meeting with heads of women’s religious orders from around the world, the Pope was asked whether he would create an official commission to study whether women could be ordained as deacons. Female deacons are mentioned in the New Testament by several Church Fathers, and in the documents of the Council of Nicaea, but it is debated whether this role was similar to that of present-day permanent deacons – who officiate at baptisms and weddings, and sometimes preach at Mass. Pope Francis told the meeting of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) that, on his understanding, the women described as deacons in the New Testament were not ordained in the manner of today’s permanent deacons; rather, they helped when women received full-immersion baptism, or with anointing. But the Pope said the question is “obscure” and needs more study. He said: “I will ask the [Congregation for the] Doctrine of the Faith to tell me if there are studies on this.” He also said it would be “useful” for a commission to “clarify this”. In 2001 the International Theological Commission, attached to the CDF, concluded that female deacons in history were not equivalent to permanent deacons. Pope Francis told the meeting that women could not preach at Mass because the priest is serving in persona Christi.