On June 19, 2021, Pope Francis met a group of permanent deacons from Rome Diocese and spoke to them about their role, which he said is not a substitution for a priest or a bishop. In his address to the group, Pope Francis explained that the main path of the ministry of the deacon is indicated in Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which says that the diaconate is "not for the priesthood but for service."