Veer Dusauchoit (pictured), 62, argued the refusal violated the Belgian Constitution. The court agreed, fining Archbishop Luc Terlinden and his predecessor Cardinal Jozef De Kesel €1,500 each.

The court however made the point that it does not have the authority to judge church matters.

Luc De Cleir, spokesperson for the Mechelen court, stated "The court considers that the archbishops made an error in assessing the application. It concerns only admission to training, not the question of actual ordination as a deacon".

The archdiocese is reviewing the ruling and might appeal.

The Catholic Church restricts the diaconate, a degree of Holy Orders, to men.

"It's not because she is a woman"

Father Tommy Scholtes, spokesperson for the Belgian bishops' conference, highlighted "a certain paradox in the court's decision which condemns while declaring itself incompetent to define who can be admitted to diaconal training".

Scholtes defended against sexism accusations, stating "It's not because she is a woman, but for now only men can be ordained as deacons. The bishops considered that since the person could not be ordained, it was inappropriate for her to undergo the training".

He added "We could just as well have been criticised for admitting someone to the training while knowing she could not complete it".

Scholtes suggested that the Belgian Church is relatively progressive regarding female deacons. "We have requested that a theological commission explore this question at the next session of the Synod". This is scheduled for October.

Ambiguity in the judgement

Louis-Léon Christians, a law and religion professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, believes the ruling will not set a legal precedent. He pointed out the ambiguity in the judgment, where the judge acknowledged religious freedom and the Church's internal affairs while ruling on compensation.

According to Mr Christians, two lessons can be drawn from this case. Firstly, the church would undoubtedly benefit from a better welcoming of individuals' requests, where the judge noted an "immediate refusal to consider".

Secondly, "there is a lack of a culture of credible conflict within the church" the Belgian canonist remarked. He added that "if the church were a little more concerned with its own law and procedures, the faithful would be more inclined to turn to it rather than to civil justice".

Pope Francis recently reiterated that the ordination of female deacons is not under consideration.

In an interview with CBS, the pontiff had said "If we are talking about deacons with Holy Orders, no. But women always have the function of deaconesses without being deacons". He highlighted the significant service women provide within the church without formal ordination.

Sources

La Croix International

CathNews New Zealand

Veer Dusauchoit, 62, claims her exclusion from the programme is solely because she is a woman.

"I want to train as a deacon because it interests me and I think that I will then have more tools to do what is expected of me here in the church. And I can't do that because I'm a woman so, yes, I am indeed angry, but I'm also determined" Dusauchoit told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

Dusauchoit has served her parish in Herent, near Leuven, for 30 years. There is no longer a priest there, so she works with other volunteers to lead celebrations of the word of God and funerals.

And so she decided to enrol in a four-year diaconate course.

However, the Belgian woman said her application was rejected once her gender was revealed during a phone call.

Unlawful and legally wrong

Supported by her congregation, Dusauchoit sees this as unlawful gender-based discrimination.

"My community understands my frustration" she told Radio2 in April. "This is unlawful and legally wrong."

Without the commitment of women, "the church in Flanders would simply collapse," Dusauchoit claimed.

The Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels has not commented on the ongoing legal proceedings. However, it reiterated the Church's stance that only men can become deacons.

The diaconate is one of the three ordained functions within the Catholic Church, alongside the priesthood and the episcopate. Currently, only men can receive ordination.

Belgian bishops support including women in the diaconate but emphasise that this decision lies with the universal Church. The matter is expected to be discussed at the Synod on Synodality in the autumn.

The Mechelen civil court has one month to decide on Dusauchoit's case.

Sources

English Katholisch

RTL info

CathNews New Zealand