The question of restoring women to the ordained diaconate surfaced during the Second Vatican Council and continued to resound in academic and pastoral circles well after the diaconate was restored as a permanent order in the church in the West. This volume contains twelve essays--five translated from Italian, three translated from French, and four in their original English--that answer the questions about the history and possible future of women deacons. Essays by: Yves Congar, OP  Philippe Delhaye Peter Hünermann Valerie A. Karras Corrado Marucci, SJ Pietro Sorci, OFM Jennifer H. Stiefel Cipriano Vagaggini, OSB Cam Phyllis Zagano Ugo Zanetti, OSB