Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich has warned that the ordination of women as deaconesses is a “long-term” issue that could only be addressed with the consensus of the entire Church, to avoid an internal fracture.
He stated this in an interview granted to Vatican News, in which he also defended a greater female presence in ecclesiastical positions of responsibility.
An open debate, but without immediate decisions
As the Luxembourg cardinal explained, the issue of the female diaconate has been very present in the recent synodal process, where numerous women expressed their desire to access this ministry.
However, Hollerich insisted that a decision at this moment could provoke divisions, taking as a reference the experience of the Anglican Communion after the ordination of women.
“Access to the ordained ministry can only occur through a consensus of the entire Church,” he emphasized, making it clear that it is not a question that can be resolved unilaterally or hastily.
Understanding toward women, but without changes in doctrine
The cardinal acknowledged the “disappointment” of many women, especially in the West, due to the lack of progress in this matter.
Even so, he defended that the current path must focus on expanding their participation in the life of the Church outside of the ordained ministry.
In this sense, he insisted that it is necessary to strengthen the female presence in decision-making processes, including areas of great relevance, as already happens in some bodies of the Roman Curia and in various dioceses.
Hollerich cited as an example his own archdiocese, where several women hold positions of responsibility, including roles in clergy formation and in the supervision of key areas such as education or social action.
The key: rethinking the diaconate
The cardinal emphasized that before any decision, serious theological work is essential on the nature of the diaconate, its relationship to the priesthood and the episcopate, and its place in the life of the Church.
He even raised the possibility of recovering non-sacramental forms of participation, such as an eventual subdiaconate for women, which would allow their involvement in the liturgy and ecclesial service without altering the doctrine on the sacrament of holy orders.
Cultural differences and different rhythms
Hollerich also highlighted that the debate on the role of women in the Church is strongly conditioned by cultural factors.
While in Europe there is a clear trend toward full equality, in other regions of the world the perspectives are different.
For this reason, he considered it legitimate that different rhythms can occur in the incorporation of women into certain responsibilities, always within the framework of ecclesial communion and without breaking unity.
An issue open to discernment
In any case, the cardinal avoided setting deadlines, stating that the development of this debate must be left to the action of the Holy Spirit and the joint discernment of the universal Church.
His words reflect a position that, without completely closing the debate, places it on a distant horizon, while at the same time emphasizing the need to strengthen the role of women in ecclesial life without modifying the sacramental discipline for now.
A shift in discourse that evidences internal tensions
The current statements contrast evidently with affirmations made by Hollerich himself in March during a symposium at the University of Bonn.
On that occasion, the cardinal not only maintained that the issue of women’s access to the ordained ministry “is not closed,” but warned that “he cannot imagine in the long term how a Church can be sustained if half of God’s people suffers from not having access to the ordained ministry.”
The Luxembourg archbishop also acknowledged a personal change in stance, admitting that he had been more conservative in the past and that his opinion had evolved after his pastoral experience.
According to him, this demand would not be marginal, but widely shared by women in parish life.
However, in contrast to that more open approach, his current intervention introduces a clear cooling, by placing any possible development on a distant horizon and conditioned to a global consensus that is difficult to achieve.