CBCP approves Ratio for Permanent Deacon implementation in the Philippines

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has approved the Ratio for Permanent Deacon, which will serve as the guideline for implementing the Permanent Diaconate in the country.

According to Novaliches Bishop Roberto Gaa, this was one of the key agreements reached during the recently concluded 129th Plenary Assembly of the CBCP, held in Laguna.

He clarified that the Vatican is now the only entity that needs to receive the document for formal recognition.

“The Ratio for Permanent Deacons has been approved, we can now submit it. The Vatican no longer approves; they just recognize and acknowledge it,” Bishop Gaa said in an interview on the Barangay Simbayanan program of Radio Veritas Philippines.

The Ratio is an official document that establishes the foundation and guidelines for the proper formation and vocation of a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church. However, the bishop clarified that dioceses are not required to have permanent deacons if they are not deemed necessary.

A permanent deacon is an ordained minister in the Catholic Church who assists priests and bishops in their pastoral duties. Married men may become permanent deacons, but those single before ordination must remain celibate. Former seminarians must have been out of the seminary for at least 10 years before becoming eligible.

Bishop Gaa further stated that, according to the Ratio, the Church is not obligated to provide salaries for permanent deacons.

“It is really out of the generosity of the people. If they give, they give out of generosity. The Church is not required to provide a salary. That’s why it is encouraged that they be economically stable and able to support themselves,” he added.

The responsibilities of permanent deacons include proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, catechesis, administering baptisms, giving homilies during Mass, officiating weddings (with permission), and bringing the Eucharist to the sick. They also play a role in charitable works, assisting the poor, and engaging in pastoral ministry within communities.

Pope Francis approved the establishment of the permanent diaconate in the Philippines in September 2023, a month after the CBCP formally requested it.

In a letter, then-CBCP President Bishop Pablo Virgilio David stated: “The restoration of the permanent diaconate in the Philippines will enliven even more the engagement of the lay faithful in society.”

Permanent deacons are common in the United States and Europe, where the role has existed for a long time but was formally recognized by the Church in 1967 under Pope Paul VI.