SCRANTON -- Pope Francis may be considering letting women have more leadership roles in the Roman Catholic Church.
He said he wants a commission to study whether women should be allowed to become deacons, a step below a priest. Deacons can perform many of the same duties as priests, including giving communion.
Pope Francis has proven to be an unconventional leader of the Catholic Church. Though he hasn't actually changed any church doctrine, his off-the-cuff statements show a shift.
Officials in the Diocese of Scranton say Pope Francis' announcement is more talk than action. It could be a long time until women can become deacons in the church.
Even so, the pope's statement was met with enthusiasm from Catholics in our area.
The deacon at Immaculate Conception Church in Scranton was surprised by the pope's revelation.
"A little bit, but to tell you the truth, it's very biblical. There are female deacons in the bible. And frankly it's a good thing all in all," said Deacon Patrick McDonald of Dunmore.
All in all, parishioners say women in leadership roles in the Roman Catholic Church are a long time coming.
"Historically, at levels where decisions are made, women have not been present in a strong way and this would bring, more naturally, a way for women to give their gifts, their ideas," said Sister Elizabeth Brandreth, Sisters of Mercy.
In nearby Dunmore, at a Catholic gift shop, Allan Delicati thought allowing women to serve as deacons would benefit church members the most.
"I know down the road it will definitely help people along that have problems. More people to go to discuss the problems, that's what we need in this day and age. We need people to open up with each other and this is the way to do it," he said.
In our area, the Diocese of Scranton is suffering from a priest shortage. Parishioners also think the pope's change of thinking could help the diocese with that problem.
"Having deacons, and female deaconesses, is a wonderful way to recover from the shortage," said Joanne Maher of Scranton.
These Catholics also acknowledge that including women could have a larger trickle-down effect, drawing in more Catholics in the long run.
"I truly believe that women do so many things in the church, that they deserve this opportunity to express their faith as deaconesses," said Maher.
Pope Francis made the statement during a meeting with Catholic women at the Vatican earlier this week. A commission to study the possibility of women deacons has not been set up yet, but lots of Catholics in our area will be watching.
