A Christmas Wish which never must be granted

The debate has been ongoing for decades. Yet the ordination of women as deacons continues to face resistance. Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), calls it a "very large and pressing gap in justice."

Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), has reiterated her demand for the implementation of the ordination of women as deacons. She told the Düsseldorf-based "Rheinische Post" that there is a "very large and pressing gap in justice" within the Catholic Church.

The issue of women's roles is becoming increasingly urgent worldwide. "I see that women are being shown a limit here per se, a limit that is no longer unquestioned theologically," said the representative of Catholic laity in Germany. "Why shouldn't vocations be recognized simply because they are experienced by women?"

Stetter-Karp referred to a debate from the 1970s. At the Synod in Würzburg, the ordination of women deacons by laypeople and German bishops had already been called for. However, recently Rome has once again put the brakes on. "We're not at the eleventh hour, but already many minutes past it," emphasized the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

With optimism

According to her own words, she is nevertheless entering the new year with optimism. Following the final Synodal Assembly of bishops and lay representatives, planned for the end of January in Stuttgart, Synodal Conferences are intended to consolidate the reform process. However, this still requires Rome's approval of the statutes for such an institution. Stetter-Karp is confident that this will be granted soon. "We have invested a great deal in discussions at the Vatican: the bishops with their delegation, and we laypeople over the past three years, also through our own channels," she said.

According to Stetter-Karp, the draft statutes were discussed with the responsible officials of the relevant authority in the Vatican; Suggestions and requests for changes were also taken into account: "That means everything we could do was done."

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