At number 29 of Chapter III of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, the document On the Hierarchical Structure of the Church and in particular on the Episcopate indicates a series of offices that, "Since these duties, so very necessary to the life of the Church, can be fulfilled only with difficulty in many regions in accordance with the discipline of the Latin Church as it exists today, the diaconate can in the future be restored as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. It pertains to the competent territorial bodies of bishops, of one kind or another, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, to decide whether and where it is opportune for such deacons to be established for the care of souls. With the consent of the Roman Pontiff, this diaconate can, in the future, be conferred upon men of more mature age, even upon those living in the married state. It may also be conferred upon suitable young men, for whom the law of celibacy must remain intact".

Through the Apostolic Letter Sacrum diaconatus ordinem dated June 18^th 1967 and the motu propio: Ad pascendum, dated August 15^th 1972, Pope Paul VI specified both the deacons’ duties and their various modalities: celibate, matrimonial, diocesan and religious. The ministries of readers and acolytes were also established as the first and necessary steps for expressing the desire to access Holy Orders.

With the promulgation on the new Code of Canon Law by John Paul II, on January 25^th 1983, these expressions found the correct juridical form for the Church, establishing precise rules for their universality, and also simultaneously leaving ample space for clarifications and adaptations by the Episcopal Conferences, as requested by the Second Vatican Council (See CIC 236; 276 § 2,3; 281 § 3; 288; 1031 § 2-3; 1032 § 3; 1035 § 1; 1042 § 1; 1050 § 3)

The Congregations for the Clergy and for Catholic Education have published a joint declaration: Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons and The Directory for the Ministry and life of Permanent Deacons, dated February 22^nd 1998.

In this way a series of criteria have been established concerning the eligibility, modalities, formation, liturgical offices, spiritual life, relations with bishops and priests, financial aspects, the importance of the bride’s approval for married deacons and above all, the importance of proof of service in the name of the Church in favour of the alienated and the poor. They are called upon to promote and support communities and be present in the social sector and wherever human rights are not respected; they are also thereby invited to proclaim the Word through modern means of social communication.