Pope Francis has approved the establishment of the permanent diaconate in the Philippines.
In an Aug. 17 letter conveying the pope’s decision, the Vatican said that the step was a “noble initiative for the good of the holy people of God in the Philippines”.
This is a significant moment for the permanent diaconate since its restoration in the Latin Church in 1967 as the Philippines has the globe’s third-largest Catholic population after Brazil and Mexico.
The number of permanent deacons worldwide could rise notably in the coming years, with consequences for Catholic parish life.
But what exactly is the permanent diaconate? How has it developed over the past half-century? And where are permanent deacons located around the world?
What’s the permanent diaconate?
There are three degrees of ordination in the Catholic Church: Deacon,…
