Update on 'deaconesses'

As I reported earlier, the story that some hierarchs in the church are advocating for women deacons is misleading. Today in The Tablet news ...

The president of Germany's bishops' conference has called for the creation of a new, specific office for women deacons .... But a spokesman for Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, whom Pope Francis has appointed cardinal-adviser for Europe, said ordaining women deacons was "not on the agenda". And Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg said the office of deacon was inseparably bound to that of priest and bishop and the sacrament of ordination, and the "tradition that only men can be ordained is based on the Bible".

So, women *might* get to be deacons someday (or not) but if they do get to, they won't be deacons in the normal sense of the word, they won't be the kind of deacons that men are (ordained). And why call a position "deacon" when it is not honestly descriptive of the job? This seems like a ploy to make people who aren't paying proper attention believe that the church is actually making some progress towards equality in roles for women in the church. Disingenuous much? It would be so refreshing if the church would quit underestimating both women's intelligence and their commitment to seeing justice done.