In an open letter, around 325 theologians have criticised the style of communication within the Catholic Church and expressed their solidarity with the Italian theologian and papal advisor Linda Pocher.
The initiative is the brainchild of Italian theologian and publicist Andrea Grillo, who published the letter on Sunday on his blog and in the magazine "Settimana News" on Sunday.
"If you don't have convincing arguments in public discourse, you discredit the person you are dissenting from," it says.
The trigger was an article on the portal "Silere non possum" portal, which criticised Pocher's arguments in an interview with the Italian daily newspaper "La Repubblica" on the diaconate of women sharply attacked.
In the interview, Pocher emphasised that the renewed delay in the decision on a possible ordained ministry for women in the Catholic Church was a cultural problem.
However, she does not see a definitive end to the debate: "In my opinion, it is neither a step forwards nor a step backwards, but there is more clarity about what is at stake."
"Unfounded sharpness"
The portal accused the theologian of distorting reality and making statements "that are not only not Catholic, but also give the readers of this already biased newspaper a completely distorted and untrue portrayal of the issue".
The topic is not on a cultural level, but on a strictly theological level, it continues.
In the open letter, Grillo criticised the "unfounded sharpness" of the article and described it as a "personal attack on Professor Pocher", which at least partially confirms her observation - namely "that a not insignificant proportion of a problem of sexism plays a role in the church discourse on the female diaconate, from which it is obviously difficult to find a way out with a minimum of style".
With regard to the accusations of discrediting the portal, Grillo explained that such an approach is ill-suited to those who claim to want to defend the nature of the sacrament of Holy Orders.
A study commission appointed by Pope Francis on the diaconate of women last week published its final report.
In it, the question of the ordination of female deacons remains "open to further theological and pastoral deepening", even if women cannot be admitted to ordination as things stand at present: "The status quaestionis in terms of historical research and theological investigation precludes the possibility of progressing towards the admission of women to the diaconate as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders," the Vatican report states.
"In the light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church, this assessment is clear, even if it does not allow a definitive judgement to be made at this time - as is the case with priestly ordination."
Pocher is considered an expert on the issue of women in the Catholic Church.
At the request of Pope Francis (2013-2025), the nun organised a series of lectures on the role of women in the church.
It was aimed at the Council of Cardinals, the closest advisory body to the Pope, who died in April.
One of the speakers at the events was a female Anglican bishop.