Print This Post
May
30
The Vatican issued its most explicit decree so far against the ordination of women priests, punishing them and the bishops who try to ordain them with automatic excommunication.
The decree was written by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and published in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, giving it immediate effect.
A Vatican spokesman said the decree made the Church’s existing ban on women priests more explicit by clarifying that excommunication would follow all such ordinations.
Okay – so, most people know that women aren’t supposed to be allowed to be priests in the Catholic churches, right? So, why this, why now?
Reverend Tom Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Centre at Georgetown University, said he thought the decree was meant to send a warning to the growing number of Catholics who favour admitting women to the priesthood.
“I think the reason they’re doing this is that they’ve realised there is more and more support among Catholics for ordaining women, and they want to make clear that this is a no-no,” Reese said.
(sarcasm alert) How do you say “no-no” in Latin?
Well, so, what are the arguments?
Against ordination:
The Church says it cannot change the rules banning women from the priesthood because Christ chose only men as his apostles.
Church law states that only a baptised male can be made a priest.
For ordination:
Proponents of women’s ordination say Christ was only acting according to the social norms of his time.
The article says that the ordination of women as priests is in fact very rare.
Obviously, I am a fish out of water on this, even though I went to Georgetown. So, here’s a site called, Women Priests which has a section on the reasons why they believe in women priests in the Catholic Church. Here’s nice coverage from the National Catholic Reporter, with profiles of five women priests. But here’s an article (albeit from 1997) about why women should not be Catholic priests.
From the wayback machine, here’s an article about women in the clergy in the Anglican Church, circa 1992. Very different approach.
Again – fish out of water – what is the difference in interpretation of Jesus’s actions and words that leads to such divergent rules?
I don’t know. There’ve been women in the Jewish clergy for decades.
Did you want to be a priest rather than a nun? I really cannot comment specifically on this, except as an outsider.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:36 pm May 30th, 2008 in Culture, Gender, Law, Religion, Social Issues, Women, leadership
Comments
6 Responses to “Meanwhile, Vatican issues near Fatwa against ordination of women priests”
Leave a Reply
2010 WE Magazine 101 Women Bloggers to Watch
Category Specific RSS
Pepper Pike Cleveland+ Politics Women Ohio Elections Law Jewish
by Tips and TricksNews Now
Women priests are like left-handed shortstops, according to an old saying. Unfortunately, I can’t quite seem to recall what that was supposed to mean, or how they’re supposedly alike. So as Roseanne Rosanadanna would say, “never mind.”
The Church of Rome is a traditional, conservative, patriarchal institution. Who KNOWS what would happen if women infiltrated into positions of power? Only God …
It will happen one day, but the Church will have to undergo a revolution first. Never mind opening windows, the walls will have to be torn down.
Glad the Vatican can approve the possible existence of aliens but not female priests.Rev. Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit Director of the Vatican observatory has said, “Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like “putting limits” on God’s creative freedom”…My question: how is it that not allowing women to become priests isn’t?
Lara – GREAT question!
Psst John – it’s Emily Litella.
hysperia wrote: “Who KNOWS what would happen if women infiltrated into positions of power? Only God …”
Yeah, you know, I do not mean to disrespect people who do believe in the dogma of whatever religion they follow. That’s their right to believe it. But I have always had trouble understanding how certain tenets have anything to do with being a good person, treating others well or at least minimally well, and what God thinks. We don’t raise our kids to get good grades because “or else” God will do something to you. I can’t sell them that. But, as I know others point out from time to time, Jews do not believe really in an afterlife and that is sometimes attributed to why it treats certain behaviors differently.
I don’t know – I continue to feel that religion is and should remain almost the most private thing you can possess.