Address of Monsignor Paul Russell
Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Holy See
Tuesday, 23 November 2010

Your Excellencies,

Thank you most sincerely for the kind invitation to join you for the Autumn Plenary Meeting of your Conference. It is always a pleasure to be with you.

Last year, at your Autumn Plenary Meeting, I spoke about the relationship between the pope and bishops, and the relationship among bishops. This year, at your Spring Plenary Meeting, I spoke about the relationship between Bishops and priests. Cardinal Shan has recently taken up that same theme.

Today, I want to say something about the permanent diaconate. This has already been among the topics of discussion at your Spring Plenary, and at your Extraordinary Meeting on 20 September. The Archdiocese of Taipei held a pastoral conference on this topic from 27-29 September 2010.

The Nunciature consulted the Congregation for Clergy. The Prefect at that time, Cardinal Hummes, asked Monsignor Anthony McDaid of the same Congregation to provide some material - a part of which I will share with you this morning.

From the first days of the Church, it is clear that deacons were understood to occupy a special place in the Christian community, set apart along with the "presbyters" (bishops and priests) for a role rooted in the ministry of Christ himself. The first explicit reference to deacons - perhaps as early as 53 A.D - occurs in St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, which is addressed to "all the holy ones at Philippi, with their bishops and deacons in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1). Another reference is found in the Letter to Timothy, wherein is listed the qualities and virtues a deacon must have in order to be worthy of the ministry.

We are very familiar with the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, which describes a dispute in the church of Jerusalem between Greek-speaking and Aramaic-speaking Christians, resulting in the choice of seven exemplary men "acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent", presented to the apostles, who "prayed over them and then imposed hands on them".

The Scriptures point to an office in the Church which continued to evolve. 'Deacon' comes from a Greek word - diakonos - which means a servant or helper. It occurs about 30 times in the New Testament and is sometimes applied to Christ himself. The Apostles, for whom it was not "not right to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables", understood the deacons as helpers in a material sense, and then in more than a material sense - "not servants of food and drink, but ministers of the Church of God". As St. Ignatius of Antioch put it around 100 A.D., the deacon's task was nothing less than to continue "the ministry of Jesus Christ".

In a special way deacons were considered to be 'helpers' of the bishop. St. Ignatius specifically mentions two functions of this sort; writing letters for the bishop and generally assisting him in ministry of the word, and serving as the legate of the bishop from one local church to another.

In addition, deacons often rendered assistance - on the bishop's behalf - to the poor and needy of the community. The theologian Karl Rahner says that central to all that deacons did was the fact that they were "to help those who direct the church". To put this in more current terminology, it can be said that deacons, though they share certain basics in common, can be thought of as "specialists" available for assignment by the bishop to very specific tasks.

Even as the diaconate flourished, the causes of its eventual decline and disappearance began to appear. This happened as early as the third century. But the process itself was a complex one which extended over many centuries. As the presbyterate became increasingly associated with presidency at Mass, presbyters like Saint Jerome demanded to know why deacons had so much power - "After all, deacons could not preside at Eucharist, and presbyters were really the same as bishops". As early as the patristic age, the very meaning and purpose of the three orders came to be organized in a new way. One's role in the Mass came to be the factor which governed one's place within the church. Deacons came to be assistants of priests, as they were of bishops, and primarily at the altar.

It seems that the failure to comprehend and appreciate the special value of the diaconate in its own right as a distinct ministry also outside liturgical functions eventually resulted in its collapse. More and more emphasis came to be placed on the liturgical role of deacons, at the expense of the ministry of the word and the ministry of charity. By the fifth century, it seems that most deacons did little except perform Mass functions. By this time, too, the idea had begun to gain currency that the diaconate was no more than an introductory stage in Orders, a step on the way toward ordination as a priest. Its value as an integral part of the hierarchy of Orders - deacons, priests, bishops - was obscured. By the Middle Ages the office of deacon was, according to Karl Rahner, close to being a "legal fiction".

So it remained for many centuries. There continued to be deacons in the Western church, but they were men on their way to becoming priests.

The Council of Trent ordered the re-establishment of the permanent diaconate, but the order was not put into effect.

It seems that in World War II, priests imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, reflecting on the difficult situation of the church, speculated that permanent deacons - married or single men with a formal, stable commitment to the work of the church - could have accomplished much good. Renewed interest in the idea continued after the war, when it was taken up by theologians and scholars, especially in Europe, and discussed in a number of articles and books.

In 1957 Pope Pius XII spoke favorably of a restored permanent diaconate, but concluded that the time was "not yet ripe". However, the idea was very much in the air by the time of Vatican Council II.

Allow me to review with you the teaching of the Second Vatican Council with regard to the diaconate.

The Council's principal statement on the restoration of the permanent diaconate appears in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium, N. 29.

"At a lower degree of the hierarchy stand the deacons, on whom hands are imposed 'not for the priesthood, but for the ministry.' For strengthened by sacramental grace, they are at the service of the People of God in the ministry of the liturgy, the word and charity, in communion with the bishop and his presbyterium. To the extent that he has been authorized by competent authority, he is to administer baptism solemnly, to reserve and distribute the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the church, to take viaticum to the dying, to read Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside at the worship and prayer of the faithful, to administer sacramentals, and to preside at funeral services and burials. Dedicated to duties of charity and administration, deacons should bear in mind the admonition given by Saint Polycarp: '[Deacons should be] merciful, zealous, and walking in accordance with the truth of the Lord, who became the servant of all'."

"Since these tasks, which are supremely necessary for the life of the Church, can only with difficulty be carried out in many regions, according to the current discipline of the Latin Church, the diaconate can for the future be restored as a proper and permanent grade of the hierarchy. It is, however, the responsibility of the competent territorial conferences of bishops….to decide with the approval of the supreme pontiff himself whether and where it is opportune that such deacons be appointed for the care of souls" (Lumen gentium, 29).

Note that there are three reasons for restoring the diaconate advanced during the Council: 1. a desire to enrich the Church with the ministry of functioning deacons; 2. an intention to strengthen with sacramental grace those men who already performed many functions of the diaconate; 3. a desire to help alleviate the shortage of priests in various parts of the world.

Deacons, it was reasoned, would be able to perform many of the functions of priests and would help create and sustain a sense of Christian community among people who rarely saw a priest.

This consideration is still valid and even compelling in particular situations. But it is not a satisfactory rationale if it is taken to imply that the diaconate is merely an expedient, a temporary solution to a problem for which there would be no particular need or reason if there were enough priests to go around. On the contrary, the central fact about the diaconate is that it is an integral part of the three-fold hierarchy of Orders, with its own intrinsic reason and right to exist, quite apart from the circumstances of a particular era and place which may give it special timeliness.

Pope Paul VI gave specific directives for implementing the restoration of the diaconate in his Apostolic Letter Sacrum diaconatus ordinem published on 18 June 1967. These are still the basis of the Church's current practice and policy regarding the Permanent Diaconate.

I will leave a copy of Pope Paul VI's Letter, but kindly allow me to cite parts of it to you now.

1. It is the task of the legitimate assemblies of bishops of episcopal conferences to discuss, with the consent of the Supreme Pontiff whether and where-in view of the good of the faithful-the diaconate is to be instituted as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy.

2. When asking the Apostolic See for approval, the reasons must be explained which favor the introduction of this new practice in a region as well as the circumstances which give well-founded hope of success. Likewise, the manner will have to be indicated in which the new discipline will be implemented, that is to say, whether it is a matter of conferring the diaconate on "suitable young men for whom the law of celibacy must remain intact, or on men of more mature age, even upon those living in the married state," or on both kinds of candidates.

3. Once the approval of the Holy See has been obtained, it is within the powers of each Ordinary, within the sphere of his own jurisdiction, to approve and ordain the candidates, unless special cases are concerned which exceed his faculties.

Numbers 4-10 speak about younger, unmarried candidates for the permanent diaconate. Since this form of the permanent diaconate has not developed, I will not read these paragraphs.

4. By the law of the Church, confirmed by the Ecumenical Council itself, young men called to the diaconate are obliged to observe the law of celibacy.

5. The permanent diaconate may not be conferred before the completion of the 25th year. Nevertheless, an older age can be required by the episcopal conferences.

6. Let young men to be trained for the diaconal office be received in a special institute where they will be put to the test and will be educated to live a truly evangelical life and prepared to fulfill usefully their own specific functions.

7. For the foundation of this institute, let the bishops of the same country, or, if advantageous, of several countries according to the diversity of circumstances, join their efforts. Let them choose, for its guidance, particularly suitable superiors and let them establish most accurate norms regarding discipline and the ordering of studies, observing the following prescriptions.

8. Let only those young men be admitted to training for the diaconate who have shown a natural inclination of the spirit to service of the sacred hierarchy and of the Christian community and who have acquired a sufficiently good store of knowledge in keeping the custom of their people and country.

9. Specific training for the diaconate should be spread over a period of at least three years. The series of subjects, however, should be arranged in such a way that the candidates are orderly and gradually led to carrying out the various functions of the diaconate skillfully and beneficially. Moreover, the whole plan of studies can be so arranged that in the last year special training be given for the various functions which deacons especially will carry out.

10. To this moreover should be added practice and training in teaching the elements of the Christian religion to children and other faithful, in familiarizing the people with sacred chant and in directing it, in reading the sacred books of Scripture at gatherings of the faithful, in addressing and exhorting the people, in administering the sacraments which pertain to them, in visiting the sick, and in general in fulfilling the ministries which can be entrusted to them.

Numbers 11-17 speak about older (usually married) candidates for the permanent diaconate. This is the form of the diaconate which has developed in the Church since the Second Vatican Council.

11. Older men, whether single or married, can be called to the diaconate. The latter, however, are not to be admitted unless there is certainty not only about the wife's consent, but also about her blameless Christian life and those qualities which will neither impede nor bring dishonor on the husband's ministry.

12. The older age in this case is reached at the completion of the thirty-fifth year. Nevertheless, the age requirement is to be understood in this sense, namely, that no one can be called to the diaconate unless he has gained the high regard of the clergy and the faithful by a long example of truly Christian life, by his unexceptionable conduct, and by his ready disposition to be of service.

13. In the case of married men care must be taken that only those are promoted to the diaconate who while living many years in matrimony have shown that they are ruling well their own household and who have a wife and children leading a truly Christian life and noted for their good reputation.(7)

14. It is to be desired that such deacons be possessed of no small learning about which we have spoken in numbers 8, 9, 10 above, or that they at least be endowed with that knowledge which in the judgment of the episcopal conference is necessary for them to carry out their specific functions. Consequently they are to be admitted for a time in a special school where they are to learn all that is necessary for worthily fulfilling the diaconal ministry.

15. Should this be impossible, let the candidate be entrusted for his education to an outstanding priest who will direct him, and instruct him and be able to testify to his prudence and maturity. Care must always and emphatically be taken that only suitable and skilled men may be admitted to the sacred order.

16. Once they have received the order of deacon, even those who have been promoted at a more mature age, can not contract marriage by virtue of the traditional discipline of the Church.

17. Let care be taken that the deacons do not exercise an art or a profession which in the judgment of the local Ordinary is unfitting or impedes the fruitful exercise of the sacred office.

18. Any deacon who is not a professed member of a religious family must be duly enrolled in a diocese.

19. The norms in force with regard to caring for the fitting sustenance of priests and guaranteeing their social security are to be observed also in favor of the permanent deacons, taking into consideration also the family of married deacons and keeping article 21 of this letter in mind.

20. It is the function of the episcopal conference to issue definite norms on the proper sustenance of the deacon and his family if he is married in keeping with the various circumstances of place and time.

Pope Paul VI's Apostolic Letter Ad pascendum "Norms for the Order of Diaconate" (15 August 1972) clarified the conditions for admission and ordination of candidates to the diaconate. The essential elements of these norms were integrated into the Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 25 January 1983. Another significant document is the Instruction On Certain Questions regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests, signed by eight Dicasteries and approved by the Supreme Pontiff in forma specifica on 13 August 1997. The Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy issued a joint document entitled "Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons - Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons" dated 22 February 1998.

Since the Council, without any doubt, the reality of the permanent diaconate has acquired a significant place in the heart of the Church. This is true for the fields of theological discussion and related doctrinal clarifications, as well as in the area of the pastoral life of the Church, where the impact of the current large number of deacons is a significant element.

This latter truth is borne out by a glance at statistics. The number of Permanent Deacons worldwide has increased from somewhat less than 300 in 1970, to more than 33,000 in 2005. The latest statistics would indicate that today there are more than 34,520 Permanent Deacons in the Church of whom almost 34,000 are diocesan and little more than 500 are religious.

A graph shows the increase in the number of permanent deacons in those countries which have the largest number of permanent deacons: USA, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Great Britain.

Certainly, most deacons are found in Europe and America. In fact, 22,358 are in the American Continent (both North and South), and 11,370 are in Europe. These numbers far outshine those of the other Continents where Africa has 379 Deacons, Oceania/Australasia 257 and there are only 143 in Asia. This means that 97.7% of all Permanent Deacons are to be found in Europe and America, while the other 3 Continents arrive at a mere 2.3%.

The foregoing description then calls us to evaluate this situation because it cannot simply be attributed to the development of evangelization in the different continents, but evokes questions on a broader scale.

If we take, for example, the African experience, there the most significant development has been in the apostolate of the catechist. This then has subsequently become one of the reasons for the non-development that is patently evident in the diaconate in Africa and accounts for the low statistic of this region.

In contrast we can certainly draw attention to the fact that the 97.7% of deacons who are to be found in Europe and America are from countries long ago evangelised, many of them historically Catholic countries. In some of these countries, there is an obvious parallel decline in the number of vocations to the priesthood. Another factor to consider here is the vastly secularized ambient cultures in these geographic areas.

Since the restoration of the permanent diaconate, several important theological questions have been raised. The International Theological Commission and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have had occasion to study the issues relative to the theological nature of the diaconate, with particular reference to the relationship between the priesthood and the diaconate and between the diaconate and the apostolates of those not in Holy Orders.

In 2001, the International Theological Commission published a study entitled "The Permanent Deacon: Development and Perspectives" which revealed that above all else the diaconate is a sacramental reality. The study underlined the profound unity of the Sacrament of Orders, both in the clear distinction between the ministry of bishop and priest on the one hand, and that of the ministry of the deacon, on the other. It reaffirmed that the diaconate is not oriented towards priesthood but towards service (non ad sacerdotium, sed ad ministerium, LG 29). That being said, the diaconate has a constitutive link to priestly ministry (cf. LG 41), which it serves (cf. conclusion at end of text).

By reason of the diaconate's inclusion in the unity of the sacrament of Holy Orders, its particular relationship with the mystery of the Eucharist, its "priestly" significance, understood in the full sense of the "munera" of teaching and of governance, its specific participation in the mission and grace of the High Priest, the diaconate must be included in the "ministerial and hierarchical priesthood" essentially distinct from the common priesthood of the faithful (cf. cap. VII, III, 3). The diaconate cannot be simply identified with the functions and service founded on Baptism.

The fact that the diaconate belongs to the unity of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is part of catholic doctrine and must be considered "certain" and "definitive". Consequently ordination to the diaconate confers an indelible sacramental character.

The diaconate has a constitutive link to priestly ministry, but it is a "grade of service".

Taking into account the foregoing affirmations, which, in a definitive way, form part of the teaching of the Church, it can be stated that "the deacon is not a layperson elevated to a higher grade of the lay apostolate, but is a member of the hierarchy, by reason of sacramental grace and the character conferred at the moment of ordination."

In conclusion, let me try to summarize and indicate the way forward:

You have been discussing the issue of the permanent diaconate for Taiwan. The basic question you must ask is: why should there be permanent deacons in Taiwan? For what reason should the diaconate be instituted here? The reason must be based in the diaconate and not on lack of priests. The diaconate is a ministry standing on its own. The need for the diaconate in Taiwan must be established.

After giving these matters prudent consideration, a request to institute the permanent diaconate should be addressed by the Bishops' Conference to the Holy Father through the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. It is a decision of the whole Conference, not an individual bishop. After the Conference gets permission, it will be up to each individual bishop whether or not to have permanent deacons in his diocese; each bishop is free.

In mission countries, catechists usually do what permanent deacons do in other countries. Most deacons are in the USA and Germany; in fact, almost 97% of deacons are in these two countries; the rest of the world has only 3% of deacons. Mission territories did not respond to the possibility of having deacons because the catechist is prominent; there is no need for permanent deacons. As I have said, however, "need" should not be the determining factor.

Sometimes the permanent diaconate is described as a "lay diaconate", but this is not accurate; deacons are in Holy Orders. Sometimes the diaconate is described as a "married diaconate", but this is not accurate; there are deacons committed to celibacy. For deacon candidates who are married, Church discipline requires the wife to give her permission or consent - otherwise a candidate is not accepted. Normally, if the wife dies, the deacon cannot remarry. There have been dispensations or exceptions to this practice; at one point, the policy had been loosening, but now it is tightening again. In Church tradition, widower deacons are not supposed to remarry.

There are a number of practical problems and issues connected with the permanent diaconate. Remuneration is one. A married, permanent deacon with a family, who works full-time for the Church, must be given a family wage with all benefits. Another thorny issue is what happens when deacons get divorced. There have been some cases, and these have caused scandal among some members of the faithful.

Like priests, deacons are clergy and have a permanent bond with the bishop. There are mutual responsibilities which must be thought through. Deacons have rights and obligations because they are clerics.

There are ideological considerations: the fact is that most deacons are in places where there are decreasing numbers of priestly vocations. However, the diaconate should not be instituted on this ideological basis. Any decision to institute the diaconate must be a cautious, prudent decision of the Bishops' Conference based on good theology and the teaching of the Church.

I wish you fruitful deliberations on this issue, as well as on all the other issues before your Conference.

Thank you for your kind attention!

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