Pope Francis has confirmed that women cannot be ordained as deacons during his interview with CBS News.
The interview “Pope Francis: The First” aired on the night of 20 May in the United States, and is an extended version of the interview that featured on “60 Minutes” the night before, on 19 May.
CBS news anchor Norah O’Donnell asked the pontiff if women will ever have “the opportunity to be a deacon and participate as a clergy member in the church?”
Francis answered quickly: “No.”
When pressed, he explained: “If it is deacons with Holy Orders, no. But women have always had, I would say, the function of deaconesses without being deacons, right? Women are of great service as women, not as ministers, as ministers in this regard, within the Holy Orders.”
