Pope Francis approves PH bishops’ request for permanent single or married deacons

Pope Francis has approved the request of Filipino bishops to ordain married or single men to be permanent deacons as part of efforts to address the lack of priests, according to a post on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website.

“Please be assured of the Holy Father’s prayers that it will bear much fruit for many years to come,” said the Vatican, through Substitute for General Affairs of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra.

The prelate also  lauded the move of the bishops as a “noble initiative for the good of the holy people of God in the Philippines”.

The CBCP report explained that “the diaconate is the first of three ranks in ordained ministry — bishops, priests, and deacons.”

“Deacons preparing for the priesthood are known as transitional deacons. Permanent deacons, on the other hand, can be conferred upon a single or married man who does not intend to be ordained as a priest.”

The bishops discussed the issue during the CBCP plenary assembly held last January 2023. The proposal was approved during their second plenary meeting in July.

The CBCP then sent the request to Pope Francis through a letter last July 25 in which the prelates said that deacons “will be a good leaven for evangelization especially for those who live in the margins of society not only geographically but also socio-pastorally due to lack of priests”.

“The restoration of permanent diaconate in the Philippines will enliven even more the engagement of the lay faithful in society,” wrote Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, CBCP president.

The same report said that “the CBCP is expected to come up with a formation program for permanent deacons such as who may be a candidate, what age, and the length of formation, among others.” — BAP, GMA Integrated News