It's not "a Vatican document"

December 15, 2025

The seven-page letter by retired Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi is not an official document from the Vatican. It is a report of anonymous votes by unnamed members of a commission established by Pope Francis in 2020 that met twice in 2021 and 2022 met again in February 2025 with reviewing documents submitted in response to synodal considerations of women deacons. It affirms the magisterial fact that the restoration of women to the ordained diaconate is a matter for continued synodal discussion.