Indonesian Catholics lukewarm to idea of women deacons

Indonesian church leaders said they welcomed opportunities for women to be more involved in the liturgy but stressed that the ordination of permanent

May 19, 2016

JAKARTA: Indonesian church leaders said they welcomed opportunities for women to be more involved in the liturgy but stressed that the ordination of permanent female deacons would not be necessary.

On May 12, Pope Francis told the heads of women religious congregations that he would set up a commission to study the feasibility of ordaining women deacons. A day later Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, clarified the remarks, saying the pope "did not say he intends to introduce a diaconal ordination for women."

"In terms of gender equality, what the pope said is a positive thing. It's a development as he offers a bigger space to women to get involved in the liturgy," Bishop Petrus Boddeng Timang of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, who heads the Indonesian bishops' Commission for Liturgy, told ucanews.com on May 17.

"In terms of the church's stance and the history of priesthood, however, even though Jesus was surrounded by wise women including his mother, he still chose 12 men as his disciples," he said.

Asked about the possibility of ordaining permanent female deacons, the bishop said the church hasn't yet determined if this is possible.

"I'm not sure about the future though. It depends on what biblical experts and theologians will learn," Bishop Timang said.

Sister Genoveva Bikan, coordinator of Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters-run Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Timor, regarded the pope's remarks as "fresh air."

"By setting up the commission it means the pope understands that women can play a significant role in the liturgy. There's a value of gender equality here," she said.

Even without permanent female deacons, "women can do pastoral work," she said.

"Let's say they are given chances to deliver homilies during Masses. They are very good at this," she said.

Yustina Rostiawati, chairwoman of the Catholic Women of the Republic of Indonesia, said the pope's statement "is a step forward, and I support the pope if it's true that he wants to ordain female deacons.

Rostiawati, a parishioner at St. James Church in North Jakarta, said many women already are serving in various ministries in their parishes, such as distributing Communion and conducting funeral rites, a practice common in many parts of the world due to a shortage of priests. In Indonesia, these parish ministers are known as "pro-deacons."

"But some parishes or priests or bishops still refuse the involvement of female pro-deacons," she said.--ucannews

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