Why is it that only men can become priests? If a woman feels the Holy Spirit is calling her to priesthood, why is she denied because of her sex? I hear constantly about a priest shortage crisis. Wouldn't it benefit the People of God for the Church to allow women into priesthood?
2006-09-07 14:11:24 · 26 answers · asked by Jerzey Daze 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.
The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.
With love in Christ.
2006-09-07 16:32:01 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I hear you about having a hard time finding a good explanation, especially for the laity. The best I can offer is that male priesthood is rooted in scripture, tradition, and of all the crazy things, ages old "issues."
The Twelve Apostles were men, but one has to wonder how much the culture of the time dictated that. After all, a man alone with a woman who wasn't his mother/sister/wife was probably a HUGE no-no. But any which way, we see that women were disciples of Jesus (maybe the most faithful, since most of the men fled the crucification), but they were not in his "inner circle." Taking this culturing point of view, the tradition developed that men were the leaders, and eventually priests.
One of the "issues" cropped up in the middle ages. (I might have my timeline wrong here, but I'm talking many centuries ago.) Priests were given residences, like they are today, and with the house came the property. When a priest died, the bishop appointed a new priest to the parish and the property. Now, if a priest were married and left a widow, the bishop would be stuck figuring out how to care for this poor woman. Or worse - if the priest and his wife had children, how do you deal with inheritence and dowery?
I'm not saying that these are good or bad reasons, but from what I've learned, this is a decent starting ground for answering your question. And I agree - I think the People of God would benefit greatly from women priests. Heck, women practically run most churches in the USA anyway.
2006-09-07 14:31:36 · answer #2 · answered by Church Music Girl 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Its a matter of long standing teaching directly from New Testament teaching of Paul. The Church has never presumed to change any Sacred Tradition or Holy Scripture.
On The Lord's Command That Women Remain Silent: 1 Corinthians 14:33-55, “As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
This is not some obscure Old Testament Law but a New Testament teaching coming from Paul.
As we well know, there are several old long standing positions of the Church regarding these types of things that are extremely unpopular with various groups of people. One must either accept the Church's magesterial teaching on Sacred Tradition or not be a member of the Catholic Church. The Church will not change.
2006-09-07 14:14:05 · answer #3 · answered by Augustine 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
God made 2 kinds of people. Men and Women. They are very different. They are not the same, they do not have the same gifts or insights they do not see things the same way they do not react in the same way, they do well at some things and not at others because that is the way God made them.
He made humans to thrive in communities, Communities have very essential parts that they could not thrive without. Women have gifts that are better at nurturing roles. These are extremely important roles but not the same roles that men are best at. They are not inferior in any way. Just different.
God made this world to work out well within certain parameters. The 10 Commandments for instance are not things that God made up to put us down, but rather the way that the world works the best is if you follow these rules.
For instance the commandment about covetousness. God knows that we will be very unhappy if we look at other peoples roles and covet them for ourselves. If we are not suited to those roles or He has something better for us in mind we would do better to find out what that is than to insist on our own way.
THAT JULIA USER UP THERE IS A FAKO AND AN IMPERSONATOR THAT SAYS THINGS THAT THE REAL JULIA WOULD NEVER SAY. REPORT HIM FOR BEING A RACIST BIGOT! THE REAL JULIA HAS LIKE 10,000 POINTS.
2006-09-07 14:23:55 · answer #4 · answered by Makemeaspark 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If a woman feels the call to the priesthood then it is either 1) not the Holy Spirit talking to her, or 2) the woman is misinterpretting a calling from the Holy Spirit.
The Catholic Church's tradition of man-only clergy stems from the following:
Women in the Priesthood
Gen. 3:15; Luke 1:26-55; John 19:26; Rev. 12:1- Mary is God's greatest creation, was the closest person to Jesus, and yet Jesus did not choose her to become a priest. God chose only men to be priests to reflect the complimentarity of the sexes. Just as women give forth natural life, men (as priests) give forth supernatural life. Women also participate in giving supernatural life by bringing forth priests from their wombs.
Judges 17:10; 18:19 – this is why fatherhood and priesthood have always been inseparable. “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest.” Women cannot be priests because women cannot be fathers.
Mark 16:9; Luke 7: 37-50; John 8:3-11 - Jesus allowed women to uniquely join in His mission, exalting them above cultural norms. His decision not to ordain women had nothing to do with culture. The Gospel writers are also clear that women participated in Jesus' ministry and, unlike men, never betrayed Jesus. Women have always been held with the highest regard in the Church (e.g., the Church's greatest saint and model of faith is a woman; the Church's constant teaching on the dignity of motherhood; the Church's understanding of humanity as being the Bride united to Christ, etc.).
Mark 14:17,20; Luke 22:14 - the language "the twelve" and "apostles" shows Jesus commissioned the Eucharistic priesthood by giving holy orders only to men.
Gen. 14:10; Heb. 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:15,17 - Jesus, the Son of God, is both priest and King after the priest-king Melchizedek. Jesus' priesthood embodies both Kingship and Sonship.
Gen. 22:9-13 - as foreshadowed, God chose our redemption to be secured by the sacrificial love that the Son gives to the Father.
Matt. 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19 - because the priest acts in persona Christi in the offering to the Father, the priest cannot be a woman.
Mark 3:13 - Jesus selected the apostles "as He desired," according to His will, and not according to the demands of His culture. Because Jesus acted according to His will which was perfectly united to that of the Father, one cannot criticize Jesus' selection of men to be His priests without criticizing God.
John 20:22 - Jesus only breathed on the male apostles, the first bishops, giving them the authority to forgive and retain sins. In fact, the male priesthood of Christianity was a distinction from the priestesses of paganism that existed during these times. A female priesthood would be a reversion to non-Christian practices. The sacred tradition of a male priesthood has existed uncompromised in the Church for 2,000 years.
1 Cor. 14:34-35 - Paul says a woman is not permitted to preach the word of God in the Church. It has always been the tradition of the Church for the priest or deacon alone (an ordained male) to read and preach the Gospel.
1 Tim. 2:12 - Paul also says that a woman is not permitted to hold teaching authority in the Church. Can you imagine how much Mary, the Mother of God, would have been able to teach Christians about Jesus her Son in the Church? Yet, she was not permitted to hold such teaching authority in the Church.
Rom. 16:1-2 - while many Protestants point to this verse denounce the Church's tradition of a male priesthood, deaconesses, like Phoebe, were helpers to the priests (for example, preparing women for naked baptism so as to prevent scandal). But these helpers were never ordained.
Luke 2:36-37 - prophetesses, like Anna, were women who consecrated themselves to religious life, but were not ordained.
Isaiah 3:12 – Isaiah complains that the priests of ancient Israel were having their authority usurped by women, and this was at the height of Israel’s covenant apostasy.
There it is, take it or leave it.
You have to understand that Jesus guarantees "the gates of hell will not prevail" against His Church. Priest shortage or no priest shortage, the Church will not survive, it will thrive. If this were not true, there wouldn't be more than one billion Catholics in the world today.
Men and women are equal in the eyes of God - but God has given them different roles. Those roles might not seem equal to our feeble way of reasoning, but they are equal according to God's superior intellect.
Personally, I think the Church would benefit greatly from an increae in the Deaconship. A man can be married with children and still become a Deacon. An increase in Deaconship - which any serious Catholic man can answer to - would be a great help offset this "shortage".
2006-09-07 22:53:54 · answer #5 · answered by Daver 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I am Catholic as well....As a matter of fact, I teach in a Catholic School. Men are priests and women are Nuns....BOTH are very important in the life of the church. Just like men are different from women and vice-a-verse, we know that God created us in HIS holy image. I view this question as a terrible waist of time. Why don't you ask yourself, how can I best Serve God. either in the sacrament of Marriage or Holy Orders.....THAT is I believe the better question.........
I will keep you in my Rosary Prayers
2006-09-07 14:33:31 · answer #6 · answered by e_guanajuato 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The answer is very simple. You belong to a church that was founded by a bunch of misogynists. In ancient times, in most cultures, men controlled everything. Women had very little or no say in important matters. The church you belong to was founded by people that thought that women should shut-up and sit in the corner. Read in the New Testament, there are examples of what I am talking about. By the time the First Council of Nicaea was called by Constantine in 325, and the church was formalized, few things had changed. What you are seeing in Cristian churches today, is a carry over from thousands of years ago. Have fun trying to change things.
2006-09-07 14:31:36 · answer #7 · answered by Paul S 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Men are priests, women are nuns. We need both.
The sun and the moon each have their own special functions. So do men and women.
It is like a good marriage: the two are separate and equal, each with their own special talents that complement one another. We shouldn't be envious or compete, but work together.
2006-09-07 14:30:51 · answer #8 · answered by mia2kl2002 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well as an ex catholic, I´ll tell u, u will find so many thing hard to understand and most of them have no logic.
About what u ask I think nuns should have the same power and faculties to do what priest do.
But catholicism always have put women below men.
2006-09-08 07:13:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
not really
according to my knowledge, all catholics are vocated to some form of priesthood fallowing the Christ-the highest priest
(see "Lumen Gentium")
however, this vocation can be realized in many ways
the role of woman is to be a mother - in physical or spiritual way
priesthood is a form of fatherhood, since reserved for man-father
2006-09-07 14:18:11 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋