In Latin America, the situation of deacons is far different to that of the USA.
It engages the sorry socio-economic condition of large slabs of the population compared with the North American continent. Latin American countries are still in the grip of profound inequalities, partly resulting from totalitarian regimes or their demise and consequent social unrest and chaos.
The mission of the deacons in South America centres on living among the disfranchised masses, witnessing to the powerful image of Christ Crucified and Servant of all.
It is in the daily interaction with the poor and forgotten, sharing their pain and anxieties and facing up to the endemic corruption that the deacon embodies a prophetic service of hope in a world where hope is dashed and life threatened. In so doing, the deacon is also elevating the liturgy of the Church into a life-giving experience.
During the international symposium held at Salzburg (Austria), Mons Jimenez, the President of Celam, stated: Without a clear understanding of the Kingdom of God, the diaconate is reduced to a social concern, poor of ideals and capable only of compensating for and repairing unjust policies.
Without the diaconate, hope in the Kingdom of God is transformed into a utopia which is unable to love and only intent on demanding and accusing.
In some countries of Latin America, with a very high rate of unemployment, deacons and their families join the lines of the jobless and experience at first-hand a level of precariousness which in our country, for example, is almost unknown.
In Argentina, deacons were seen lining up for their ratio of food at kitchens run by the Church, not disdaining the plight of the poor and the hungry. It is rather surprising that in Argentina, the Church is sponsoring the Instituto de San Lorenzo de Moron, where the wives of deacons are given the opportunity of reflecting on the ministry of their husbands and developing a particular sensitivity to the values of spirituality in the family and a capacity for listening to people with a high degree of compassion.
In Asia and Oceania, the number of deacons working in a vast continent such as Asia is thin indeed (128 in 23 countries, 25 in India). A similar remark can be made about Oceania (180, with 113 in Australia, according to statistical information supplied by Rev Paul Simmons, coordinator of deacons at the national level, and the rest spread over 16 countries).
Because of the vastness of the territory, the diverse socio-religious realities of the two regions mentioned and the minimal number of active deacons, it is difficult to gauge with sufficient accuracy the impact deacons are having on local communities.
One example is rather exemplary: it comes from the island of Morea, near Tahiti, which is close to the main island (only 17km). Many other islands are scattered over hundreds of kilometres from Tahiti, where the Bishop has concentrated the few priests he has and from where it is a lot easier to reach so many of the far-flung islands. Thirty-one deacons are serving these communities, offering them a helping hand and a listening heart.