ROME — Pope Francis said Thursday that he would set up a commission to study whether women could serve as deacons in the Roman Catholic Church, a move hailed by women who have campaigned for years for a more prominent role in the church.
His
remarks reveal an openness to re-examining the church’s long-held
insistence on an all-male clergy. Yet the idea will face stiff
resistance from those who believe that it is the first step toward
ordaining female priests, something that recent popes have ruled out,
citing church doctrine.