Bishops…are you even listening?

We already know that the bishops are out-of-touch with the people they are supposed to shepherd. 

But now we have data to support it. A new study about women deacons shows how profoundly bishops misunderstand what the people of God support and need.

According to a study from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research on the Apostolate (CARA), only one-third of U.S. bishops (33 percent) believe the Church “should” ordain women as deacons. Only 41 percent of bishops believe women’s ordination to the diaconate to be “theoretically” possible. 

Not only that, many of them cite opposition from the laity as one of the main challenges to ordaining women. 
But here’s what Catholics think: 

• 81 percent of U.S. Catholics think women should be ordained as deacons (Gallup, 2005) 
• 72 percent of religious superiors in the U.S. think that the Church should authorize the ordination of women as deacons (America/CARA, 2018) 
• Six in 10 Catholic women support the possibility of women being ordained to the permanent diaconate (America/CARA, 2018) 

So let’s make some noise: Write to your bishop and tell him that you read the survey and you support a Church that welcomes ministerial and sacramental equality. Women deacons are nothing new. Recognizing the ministerial gifts and vocations of women is not optional. 

You can find your local bishop’s contact information here. Or, find your bishop on Twitter and tweet your support for #womendeacons! (Use the hashtag #ordainwomen, too.)

We know that reinstating the diaconate for women is an important but incomplete step for women’s full equality in the Church. We also know that women are called by God and their communities to the diaconate, called to preach, and called to visible liturgical roles.

Two weeks ago, two of the members of the Pontifical Study Commission on Women Deacons made their first public statements since its formation in 2016, sharing that the Pope has received a report from the Commission. They spoke of overwhelming evidence for the widespread practice of ordaining women as deacons for centuries in the Church.

And they reminded us: “It’s up to the Church to make noise.”  

As the “noisy movement” (according to Archbishop Gänswein), I think we can handle it.