The ordination of women as Catholic priests will come one day

[susannah]

The ordination of women as priests in the Catholic Church will come one day. Already you can see the yearnings of women to be taken seriously in their sense of pastoral calling, to serve as female priests, to express voice that is not filtered by exclusively male primacy, and the pressures that build up on the male-dominated hierarchy. Just observe

Comments

[alasthai]

I am afraid that I disagree. While I think that the Catholic Church should ordain women, very precisely on these grounds of sexual equality, I see no indication that they will.

[vesper_evensong]

I cannot speak to the Catholic church's decisions on the matter, but it would be an eventful day if it happened, that is for sure. But I wonder why it is that women, and perhaps I'm assuming here, but it sounds like you are included in this group, would wish to serve the Lord in that capacity rather than the capacity the Lord has already opened for women? I've never subscribed to equal meaning that both are exactly the same. Men and women have very unique gifts both as genders and as individuals. It would be a dull world if women just wished to be the "same" as men... but if you are meaning given the same opportunities, then I suppose it's a different argument

[becoming_rachel]

I agree with you in many ways

[vesper_evensong]

I love that explanation your mother gave you! I will try to remember that - great teaching tool.

Thank you for the information about how the Catholic church views women and what they can do. That was actually helpful to me. I don't always know what it's like to understand these views from within another church's culture and perspectives.

I tend to think you're right about society being more to blame for the estrangement of women sometimes. Because my calling in life was motherhood.. a very traditional female role, I have never fought against that. I have been happily female in all aspects and never wanted to be a man. In my marriage I am equal to my husband, and both of us see it from that view point. In my church there are things that only women do as well as things only men do. Perhaps it is those who feel driven to leadership (not to say I'm not) that feel the pull towards things on the man's scale more. I'm not entirely sure.

[thehonorableryu]

I personally believe that the New Testament presents God as far more concerned that all the members of the Body would function in their priestly service and coordinate together as one corporate body of priests (1 Cor. 12:4-31; ch. 14; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9) than He is with preserving a rigid clergy-laity distinction and deciding who can or can't belong to the special clergy class.

[napoleonofnerds]

I think women's ordination will come. None of those are remotely close to reasons why. Also, that read of the situation with the US nuns is borderline offensive.

[arago_sama]

Sure, if they're schismatic.

Ordinatio sacerdotalis. Case closed. "Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of Our ministry of confirming the brethren. We declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful. "

[arago_sama]

Also, it in no way has to do with chromosomes or hormones or assumed right; it's ontological reality.

[xenaclone]

The early Celtic church in Britain [pre the Great Schism, therefore technically both Orthodox and catholic in the widest sense] ordained women to the priesthood and episcopate. Both Brigid of Ireland and Hilda of Whitby were mitred bishops. Then there's Theodora in [I think] Italy.

They may be now regarded as apostate, but they happened.

[martiancyclist]

Neither of their ordinations, if they happened, were anything remotely close to well-documented.

Undoubtedly, too, women have been ordained here and there throughout the history of the Church. That doesn't mean it's ever happened in accordance with Church policy.