Cardinal Kasper: Women's diaconate would make sense

The German Cardinal Walter Kasper, who lives in Rome, is open to reforms. In his autobiography, which will be published on June 10, he advocates for opening the diaconate to women.

The German Cardinal Walter Kasper advocates for a women's diaconate in the Catholic Church – and believes further reforms are necessary. "In my personal opinion, opening the permanent diaconate to women has sound theological arguments and would be a sensible pastoral step," the 92-year-old writes in his autobiography.

"Women and men have equal dignity before God and must therefore be recognized with their own charisms," Kasper said. In this regard, he added, much has been achieved in recent decades, but much remains to be done. The book "On the Trail of Truth" will be published by Herder Verlag on June 10.

Reserved for Men

Initiatives by reform-minded Catholics, several Catholic women's associations, and numerous submissions to the recent worldwide synodal process are in favor of introducing the diaconate for women; some advocate for opening all services and offices in the Catholic Church to women. Until now, the offices of deacon, priest, and bishop, conferred by ordination, have been reserved for men. Deacons may baptize, marry, conduct funerals, and preach, but not preside over Mass. Only priests may do that.

The position of women in the Catholic Church has now "become a mega-issue," emphasizes the Rome-based cardinal and former bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. There are "many offices in the Church with leadership responsibility that do not require sacramental authorization, to which women can also be entrusted," Kasper said.

"The time of clericalism is over"

The cardinal also emphasized that a new, more "fraternal" culture is needed in the Church in the relationship between ministers and Catholic laity. "We will continue to need good bishops and priests in the future, but in a synodal Church, the time of clericalism and arbitrary decisions by bishops is over," Kasper wrote. "The laity want and should be heard, and they can also expect accountability from the bishops and priests."

Kasper also anticipates a shrinking Church. In a less religious environment, "perhaps we will soon become a diaspora church" and "return to the situation of the early Church." This does not frighten him. Kasper emphasized: "The early Church was not a holy remnant that some dream of today; it was a holy beginning, from which our Church, like a small mustard seed, grew into a large tree that provides shade to the farthest corners of the earth."

"New momentum" from the Global South

New, promising developments often originate from small but determined groups. "As many attentive observers predict, this could also happen: the young, often small, but vibrant churches of the Southern Hemisphere will bring new momentum to the church and soon make us Europeans look old," writes Kasper. "Without conversion, prayer, and repentance, even the most well-intentioned reforms have no future."

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