The Vatican and Women Deacons

""Phyllis Zagano gives us a wonderful resource on the checkered history of the question [of the diaconate of women], for the reader who wants to delve into more than surface opinions."" -Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ, co-author, Ordained Women in the Early Church ""Phyllis Zagano has made a unique contribution to the debate on women deacons. This book comes at a pivotal moment, during the application and continuation of the Synod on synodality, whose success or failure depends largely on how the Catholic Church resolves the issue of women's roles in ministry.""-Massimo Faggioli, Trinity College Dublin ""A must read for anyone interested in the dynamics of ecclesial discernment, decision-making, and the still to be determined future of the female diaconate.""-Margaret Eletta Guider, OSF, Boston College ""In this newest work by the foremost authority on women and the diaconate, Zagano provides a thorough analysis of the questions surrounding the issue and a detailed account of how they have been answered in the past, She shows that the question is not whether there were women deacons in the past, but whether the church now needs the ministry of women deacons. For those who answer that question in the affirmative, Zagano provides hope that this movement of the Spirit will not be stopped.""-Sr. Barbara E. Reid, O.P., Ph.D., President Emerita, Catholic Theological Union ""We are indebted to Phyllis Zagano for unfailingly keeping before us the question of restoring the permanent ministry of women deacons. This book helpfully lays out the circuitous path over more than half a century toward a truly open and transparent consideration of the question within the Catholic Church.""-Catherine Clifford, STL, PhD, President, Catholic Theological Society of America