What's the deal with Priestesses in the Catholic Church?

Question

In the question http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061227192840AA0cGmX lives7 said: Female priestesses would counter the actions of Jesus Christ.


_ My _ response _
I could be wrong, but, I don't remember reading this in the Bible:
And Jesus said unto the people, "Should thy wish to defy me and my holy ways, thoust need only to ordain the female kind unto thy Holy Church"

So, why can't females be Priestesses in the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

Don't follow anything of the Roman Catholic Church, they twisted ancient text to create their version of the bible and their religion is based on ancient Egyptology. The way of living that the Romans stole their religion from had priests and priestess but because the Greeks and Romans at that time were largely bi-sexual and misogynist they took all the important women out of their new religion Roman Catholicy.

Answer 2

First, only in English is the adjective "priest." In Greek it is presbyter which literally means old man. So, ignoring the implications, grammatically such a thing would make no sense.

However, when Pope John Paul II was formally requested by a woman for a ruling on ordination, he ruled it was beyond his authority to authorize the ordination of woman.

Catholic belief is driven by the revelation of the apostles, whether in scripture or in other things handed down the apostles. Unfortunately, there have never been woman priests and the governing principal of Catholicism is that anything that has been believed since the apostles across the entire Church is permissible. Anything else is not. So since there never were woman priest, there cannot be in the future any woman priests. Unlike Protestantism which uses logic to create a set of beliefs, Catholicism starts with a set of beliefs and tries to use logic to understand them.

We cannot know why neither Jesus nor the apostles failed to appoint women to ordained leadership. We do have early documents showing that women were not serving in those roles. So, that being the case, nothing can be done. To do so would imply that the popes and the bishops were brighter or more holy than Jesus and the apostles. A Protestant can do that, a Catholic cannot.

Answer 3

John 15:16 Jesus Chose men to be his Apostles
John 20:21 Jesus gave the Apostles His own mission
Mt 16:18 Jesus built His Church on Saint Peter, the rock
Lk 22: 32 Jn 21:17 Peter appointed to be chief shepherd
Eph 4:11 Church Leaders are hierarchical
1 Tim 3:1, 8, 5:17 Identifies the specific roles of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. Pretty clear.
Mt 28: 18-20 Jesus delegates all power to the 12 Apostles.

Non Scriptural Historical Documents
Saint Irenaeus 200 AD Against Heresies 1, 10, 2
Saint Augustine 392 AD The Advantage of Believing 35.

Jesus' Mother is a very important part of Salvation history. Even Mary did not assume the role as elder of the Church. Yet, she was powerful in the gift she provided to Christianity. You twisted my intent because you simply disagree. I speak from the Truth of my Catholic Faith.

Answer 4

Women will not be accepted as priests in the Catholic or Orthodox churches for some time to come if ever.
I Cr 13;8a
12-27-6
However all Christians are priests unto God.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

1Pe 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Answer 5

This is more of a historical reason, and a matter of tradition, than anything in Scripture.

Scripture neither prohibits nor mandates women as clergy, although there's not much example of it since, in the society of the time, women were at the margins of religious roles.

Perhaps it's time for that to change? It won't come quickly - the institution moves very slowly, but I think it'll come one day. As is, there are growing roles for women within the ordered communities and non-clerical ministerial roles.

Answer 6

There could be thousands of Catholic church homes in Massachusetts. flow on your telephone e book and look some up. in any different case, what are the percentages of somebody seeing this question who's Catholic, AND from Massachusetts, AND has a church interior of lifelike utilising distance from you?

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

It's just tradition. I can only speak for the Latin rite. Other rites have different traditions (i.e. in the Byzantine rite priests can marry.) There might actually be women priestesses in another rite, but I'm not sure. In the Latin rite, Females can perform many of the duties of a priest, such as administer communion, but they don't have the title of "priest."

Answer 9

Paul mentions a woman leader named Phoebe in Ephesus in a very favorable way, and there are further mentions of other women leaders at other cities.

I'm not Catholic...perhaps a Catholic could chime in...

Answer 10

God made women and men different. He gave us different roles. One is not more important than the other. But while women can serve many functions in church, being a Priest or Pastor is not one of them.