In accordance with the indications received from the General Secretariat of the Synod, and in continuity with the preparatory work undertaken last year, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (which, in all its components, corresponds to Group 5 as designated by the Synod Process on Synodality) is currently engaged in drafting the final report on the specific theme of the participation of women in the life and leadership of the Church. This current phase of work follows a period dedicated to the collection and careful assessment of the vast body of material submitted to the Dicastery on the aforementioned subject. In addition, the Dicastery has actively invited the contributions of numerous women who are already significantly involved in the mission and leadership of the Church.
The forthcoming final report will be structured in three parts:
- a brief overview of the history of Group 5, its methodology, and the insights gained throughout the working process;
- a reasoned synthesis of the principal findings and convergences regarding the theme, drawn from the voices of the various components of the Dicastery (Consultors, Doctrinal Office, Congress, Feria IV), the analysis of the submitted texts, and the personal accounts gathered at the Dicastery’s request;
- an extensive appendix cataloguing the substantial material received and gathered by the Dicastery in recent months, currently envisaged to be organized into seven sections:
1) Significant female figures in the history of the Church.
2) Personal accounts from women currently engaged in Church leadership.
3) Personal accounts from women serving within the Roman Curia.
4) The Marian and Petrine principles: relevance and limitations.
5) Ecclesial potestas: nature and exercise.
6) Critical tensions regarding clericalism and male chauvinism.
7) The contribution of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV concerning the role of women in the Church.
With regard to the second part of the final report, the Dicastery is relying in particular on the ongoing contribution of its female Consultors. The first draft of this section was discussed with them on 7 July 2025.
A special word must be reserved for the question of women's access to the diaconate. During the Second Session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Holy Father Francis, of venerated memory, reactivated the work of the Second Study Commission on the Female Diaconate, which he had established some years prior. All synodal contributions related to this subject have been forwarded to that Commission for its consideration.
The Dicastery expects to deliver, without delay, the final outcome of its work in the coming months.
Coordinator: Msgr. Armando Matteo