Women deacons not on agenda for Synod talks

VATICAN CITY — Women must take a greater role in the Catholic Church, but any reform allowing them to be deacons will not occur in the short term, according to a new Vatican document.

The issue will not feature on the agenda of a second session of Pope Francis' Synod of Bishops in October, in which bishops, clergy and laypeople gather to collaborate on ideas and solutions to some of the most contentious issues affecting the 21st-century Church.