Laymen, including married ones, will be allowed to officiate in marriages, baptisms and funerals as the Maltese Church has opened the door for the ordination of permanent deacons.

The announcement was made yesterday evening by Archbishop Paul Cremona when addressing the diocesan assembly at St Monica school, in Birkirkara.

The decision followed years of internal debates and consultations, which were sparked by a proposal floated during the diocesan synod at the turn of the millennium.

While permanent deacons can preside over marriages, funerals and baptisms they cannot celebrate Mass, hear confession, or consecrate bread and wine.

Mgr Cremona said the decision was not motivated by the dwindling number of priests but was aimed at giving more importance to deaconry, the first degree of the Holy Orders.

This is to highlight the richness of the Holy Orders

“This [decision] is not due to the decline in vocations but [meant] to highlight the richness of the Holy Orders,” the Archbishop said.

The development is also significant in the wake of the criticism levelled some weeks ago from within that the Church in Malta was in crisis as it was lacking leadership.

Mgr Cremona emphasised that permanent deaconry was a vocation and so there would be a discernment process.

This would involve preliminary screening and, in case of married men, the wife’s consent. Candidates who were accepted would have to do a three-year course. Once ordained, a permanent deacon would not be assigned to a particular parish but placed directly at the Archbishop’s disposal.

Mgr Cremona also announced that a higher status will be given to lay people who would be receiving formal consent by the Archbishop to lead or give their support in specific areas such as the teaching of catechism and voluntary work in hospitals or in parishes.

The existence of permanent deacons goes back to the early days of the Catholic Church when their role was also to look after those in need and give material support. Their importance declined over the centuries to a point when deaconry was just a stepping stone to priesthood as it is still the case in Malta today.

The Catholic Church had re-introduced the possibility of ordaining permanent deacons 50 years ago, following Vatican Council II.

The decision was left to the respective archdioceses but no such need was ever felt in Malta, contrary to other countries facing a shortage.

In Malta, the proposal to introduce permanent deacons was made during the diocesan synod held between 1999 and 2003. Subsequently, the idea was discussed internally in various structures such as the Presbyterian Council and the College of Parish Priests.

In 2012, Archbishop Cremona had appointed two commissions to look into the proposal and a final report had been submitted to him in November of that same year.