Pope Francis’ years-long process to reform the Catholic Church ended Saturday with recommendations that did not lead to greater equality for women as hoped, but reflected the pope’s goals of creating a church that at least listens more to its followers.

In a significant move, the pope said he would not issue a doctrinal document from the recommendations, which call for granting women all the opportunities already provided by canon law, while leaving open the contentious question of whether women should be ordained as deacons.

Therefore, it remains unclear what authority or impact the synod’s final recommendations will have, since the purpose of the exercise was to present concrete suggestions for reform to the pope.

“In this time of war we must be witnesses of peace” and an example of living with differences, the Pope explained his decision.

Francis said he would continue to listen to the bishops’ advice, adding: “This is not a classic way of indefinitely delaying decisions.”

Deacons perform many of the same functions as priests, such as: B. the leadership of baptisms, weddings and funerals, but cannot celebrate masses. Supporters say allowing women as deacons would help fill the shortage of priests. Opponents say it would mark the beginning of a wavering move toward the ordination of women to the all-male priesthood, which Francis has repeatedly affirmed.

Earlier this week, the Vatican’s top teaching fellow, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, told the extraordinary assembly of 368 bishops and laypeople that Francis had said the moment was “not yet ripe” to allow the ordination of women as deacons. He did not directly respond to a request to define what would determine “maturity” for a greater role for women.

The multi-year synod process had raised high hopes for change, particularly among women who have long complained about being treated as second-class citizens in the church. Women are excluded from the church’s highest pastoral positions but do the lion’s share of the work, running Catholic hospitals and schools and passing on the faith to future generations.

In his speech to the synod on Thursday, Fernandez said that a special working group would continue beyond the conclusion of the session, but its focus would be on discussing the role of women in the church – not in the diaconate or the office of deacon. He added that when working with women in previous pastoral roles, “most did not ask for or want the diaconate, which would be burdensome for their lay work.”

The meeting called for “the full implementation of all the possibilities already provided for in canon law with regard to the role of women, especially where it is still little used”. It leaves “the question of women’s access to diaconal service” open.

With 258 votes in favor and 97 against, it was the most controversial paragraph of the final document. It wasn’t clear whether the “no” votes were because the language went too far or not far enough.

The result is a disappointment for Catholics committed to recognizing that women have a spiritual calling no different from that of a man. They also noted that despite the inclusion of women in the synodal process, the working group leading discussions on the role of women is led by the Roman Curia and operates outside the synod.

“I think the final document will be met with great disappointment and frustration by many women around the world who are hoping for concrete changes,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.

While she acknowledged a “cultural shift,” she said, “The pace of this change may be too slow for many women.”

The first phase of the synod process ended last year with the conclusion that it was “urgent” to ensure greater participation of women in leadership positions in the church and with the call to continue theological and pastoral research on women’s ministry as deacons to enable.

While the idea of ​​allowing women as deacons was a fringe proposal from Western progressives before the synod, the idea gained attention during the debate. It became something of a litmus test for how far the church would or would not go in meeting women’s demands for greater equality and representation in the highest echelons of the church.

Francis had other ideas, insisting that ordaining women would merely “clericalize” them and that there were many other ways to empower women in the church, even in the leadership of Catholic communities, without resorting to ordination.