"The problem is that the Pope cannot really make a decision because there is no consensus," Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, told the Austrian press agency Kathpress (Saturday).
A decision would therefore run the risk of division. However, the Pope's first duty is to preserve the unity of the Church. The diaconate is the lowest degree of ordination in the Catholic Church before the ordination of priests and bishops.
With regard to the issue of women in the Church, Becquart went on to say that this would not be decided solely by whether the Pope appointed more and more women to leadership positions in the Vatican.
The most recent World Synod in October in the Vatican had committed itself to more women and lay people in leadership positions at all levels. Much is possible here in the local churches, i.e. the Catholic Church in the individual countries, which is mostly not yet being utilised. She appealed to those responsible in the Church: "Employ women wherever possible."
Few women in leadership positions
The proportion of women in the various curia authorities in the Vatican varies from authority to authority, but averages 22 per cent. Becquart admitted that "there are still not very many women in management positions".
However, this is of great concern to the Pope.
The French nun is an undersecretary at the top of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, an important body of the Catholic Church.
This makes the 55-year-old one of the highest-ranking employees in the Vatican. Pope Francis appointed her to this position in 2021.
When she was appointed to the General Secretariat by Pope Francis, she was the third woman in the team of around 15 people, Becquart recalled: "Half of us are now women."