05/07/2024
𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝘾𝘼𝙉'𝙏 𝙒𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙉 𝘽𝙀 𝙊𝙍𝘿𝘼𝙄𝙉𝙀𝘿 𝘼𝙎 𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙄𝘾 𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙎
Since time immemorial, women have been playing an important role in collaborating in Jesus' ministry. In the present time, we could still see how precious the contribution of women in the mission of the Church are. Most especially when Pope Francis changed the church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, granting them access to the most sacred place on the altar, while continuing to affirm that they cannot be priests.
Francis amended the law to formalize and institutionalize what is common practice in many parts of the world: Women can be installed as lectors, to read Scripture, and serve on the altar as eucharistic ministers. Previously, such roles were officially reserved to men even though exceptions were made.
If women's contribution are considered vital, then why doesn’t the Catholic Church admit women to Holy Orders?
The Catholic Church doesn’t ordain women because the sacrament of Holy Orders was established by Jesus such that “the ordination of women is not possible”. (CCC, 1577)
The Church has offered the following reasons for why the ordination of women is not possible:
(a) 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚:
Jesus was a male and chose only males as his Apostles. The Apostles chose only males as bishops, priests and deacons.
(b) 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣:
Both in Magisterial teaching and in practice, the Church – from her earliest days to present – has always imitated Jesus and the Apostles in reserving Holy Orders to males.
(c) 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮:
A priest is a sacramental sign of Jesus, who is male. In particular, only a male can represent Christ in his capacity as the bridegroom of the Church, his bride.
The Church is “bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible” (CCC, 1577).
The question is not whether the Church should “allow” women to be ordained, but what ordination is in the first place. Since, its very nature, ordination can only be conferred to males, the Church does not “withhold” ordination from women. Even if a bishop were to go through the ordination ritual with a woman, no conferral of Holy Orders would take place.
However, isn’t that discrimination?
Regarding whether this could be construed has a kind of discrimination against women, Pope St. John Paul II pointed out: “the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe.” (OS, 3)
The Church teaches that men and women “are equal as persons and complementary as masculine and feminine” (CCC, 372). The CDF reminds us that “equality is in no way identity, for the Church is a differentiated body, in which each individual has his or her role. The roles are distinct, and must not be confused; they do not favor the superiority of some vis-à-vis the others, nor do they provide an excuse for jealousy; the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (1 Cor. 12-13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints.” (II, 6)
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Sources:
(1) Why won’t the Catholic Church ordain women as priests?—Aleteia (Retrieved on September 17, 2021);
(2) Why Can’t Women Be Priests?—Simply Catholic (Retrieved on September 17, 2021);
(3) 📷 Pinterest, PicFair
