Story highlights Pope Francis created the commission "after intense prayer and mature reflection," the Vatican says

Women, particularly in the U.S., have been asking the Catholic Church to address the issue

(CNN) Pope Francis has created a commission to study the historical role of female deacons in the Catholic Church, the Vatican's press office said Monday.

The commission was first promised by the Pope after a meeting with a group of nuns on May 12. He said the Vatican should study the question of ordaining women as deacons , answering a call that women, particularly in the United States, have been asking the church to address for decades.

"Pope Francis expressed his intention to establish an official commission that could study the question" of the diaconate of women, "especially with regard to the first ages of the Church," the Vatican's statement said.

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"After intense prayer and mature reflection, Pope Francis has decided to institute the Commission for the Study of the Diaconate of Women."

Deacons can perform many of the same functions as priests, including preach, celebrate marriages, lead funeral services and run parishes. They cannot hear confessions or consecrate the Eucharist, and only married or celibate men over age 35 are eligible for the diaconate. There are about 18,000 deacons in the United States, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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