Why can't women be priests in the Catholic Religion!?

Question

Thats pissed me off when I was a Catholic. Thanks to myself and my beliefs I'm now a atheist or agnostic. I don't have a belief because God doesn't exist but this question still bother me! I know the Catholic monarchy is a man-only monarchy! I would go to church if a woman was proclaiming the word of God! but that would never happen! I know women can be nuns or deacons but thats only a secretary=nuns and a manager=deacons in a big business!

Answer 1

because they bleed and smell of FISH !!

Answer 2

This question can be argued many ways.

Unfortunately there is one true answer here and its a short one.

Overall the Christian Church was created at the time of the Byzandium Empire. Even when the Church was divided during the Great Szism into the West (Catholic) Church and the East (Orthodox) Church one belief was held in common.

Women were believed to be inferior beings. They were not allowed to vote, work, and even their property belonged to their husbands once they married. Certainly inferior beings would never be allowed to preach the word of God so that the Church created many excuses not to allow women to preach.

That tradition still remains today.

Answer 3

Scholar...you're not a very good scholar, particularly in regards to the passage from Romans.

In the earliest manuscripts of Paul's letter to the Romans, he clearly uses the term Deacon in reference to Pheobe. Not deaconess, because the feminine version of the noun simply did not exist in Greek for several century after Paul's death.

Second, if you actually read Paul's letter to Timothy, you would realize that Paul only designated two church offices: Bishop and Deacon. Deacons did not serve the same role today as they did in the ancient church. Back then, they served the same function as priests do today. So when Paul recommends Phoebe to the people of Rome, he is sending her as a priest, in the same was she served another congregation.

Further, when you realize that the entire point of Paul's letter to the Roman's was to recommend Phoebe to the Roman's, the reflective Christian has to think: Why did Paul send a woman to the Christian community of the ancient world's most important city? And, since her mission was to raise money to help build a Christian church in Jerusalem, why would he entrust a woman to such a vital mission if he didn't feel that women were completely capable to serve as church leaders?

Also in the same passage of Romans, Paul goes on to name other women in church positions. Finally, in his letter to Philemon, Paul is very careful to spell out that, in the service of God, there are no men or women, just God's servants.

Add to this the historical record that there were plenty of women serving as priests and even bishops in the early church, your argument really doesn't have a leg to stand on.

Answer 4

No one can change the doctrines instituted by Christ. Not even the Pope can change Apostolic traditions even if he wanted to. Thats what makes the Catholic church different from the rest. When they follow the tradition of the church they wont change their stance even if the world doesn't agree with them.

Virtually all the pagan religions of Jesus' day had priestesses, and it would have been entirely normal and natural for Christ to choose women for this task. He had, moreover, a number of excellent potential candidates, from His own Mother, who accompanied Him at His first miracle and stood with Him as He suffered on the cross, to Mary Magdalene or the women of Bethany. Instead, He chose only men, and He remained immovable on this, continuing right to the end to exhort and train them all, leaving thus a Church which turned out to be safely founded on a rock. From those twelve men a direct line of apostolic succession has given the Catholic Church the bishops and priests it has today.

In the Church’s latest statement on this matter, Pope John Paul II, using his full authority as the successor of Peter, states categorically that the Church cannot — not will not, but cannot — ordain women, now or in the future.
Only a baptized man (vir) receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) 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 college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. 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.
Now to argue with Christ's plans would be to say that He made a mistake, which is impossible.

Answer 5

I'm with Selnyk. You don't believe in God, but you'd go to church if a woman was pastor?

Your post has convinced me that you were never Catholic.

Women proclaim the word of God at every mass. They're called Lectors.

Two of the major Christian denominations, Anglicans and Lutherans, are about to split apart from their overseas foundations because US congregations have allowed the ordination of women against the teachings of their faith as well as biblical reasons.

If you wanted to go to a church where a woman is pastor, why haven't you ever tried either of those?

Either God gives you what you want or you're going to refuse to believe in him? How very 3-year-old of you.

Either one believes God's word, or one does not.

Our friend Scholar gave many biblical examples as to why the Catholic Church does not feel it can go against the word of God and begin ordaining women.

A deacon is not a secretary. A deacon is essentially a non-ordained priest. He has many of the same functions as a priest but cannot consecrate the host.

Women can not be deacons in the Catholic Church.

Answer 6

nuns are not secretaries and deacons are not managers, and a monarchy refers to a King and his reign, the term i believe you were looking for was hierarchy, meaning power structure.

And as to the 'female priests' issue it likely is out of the fact that western civilization is a patriarchy(led by/controled by men) that is why women assumed their husband's name and the children shared his name rather than hers. Since society was a patriarchy, the church was as well.

Also you have 'God the father' and 'God the Son' both male roles, and while Mary Magdelene and the 'other Mary' were the first to find the tomb empty and see the Risen Christ. 'the 12' who followed his teachings and went out to speak his teachings were all men. These factors all added up to a stronger patriarchy with in the church that is still going strong, but slowly opening up to the idea.(growing up Mass servers were all male, but I have started to see alter girls as well as alter boys).

As to women preaching the word of God, guess what, The Methodists have them and I know some other denominations do as well.

Just because you are unhappy with the Church there is no reason to turn your back on God, you just need to find the Faith that matches your faith.

Answer 7

It's really fairly simple. Of the Twelve whom Jesus ordained apostles, how many of them were women? None.

Were there women serving him and following him? Sure -- many of them. Lots of them. Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were very close to Him, and another woman who was close to Him was Mary the wife of Cleopas (Miriam is a common name there), who went to the tomb with others to anoint Jesus after his burial. He knew these women and honored them, but did not select any as his apostles. So I guess He's the one you have to blame... if Jesus had, the Church probably would have done so too. He didn't -- they won't.

Christianity treated women in the first century with much more status than they were regarded in any other religion of that time period. For example, women were not even allowed to enter the temple in Jerusalem.

If you look at Paul's letters to churches, he frequently mentions or addresses comments to women deacons and other women who were instrumental and very important in the early church. But none of them were ordained apostles or bishops. The Church continues in the same model -- if Jesus didn't ordain women, they're not going to start. It'll never happen. If you want a church that ordains women, go be a Episcopalian. Or a Unitarian, or something. There are other ones that do, too.

Edit: And why on earth do you imagine nuns are secretaries? They certainly are not. Even I know better than that, and I'm not even Catholic...

Answer 8

The Catholic Church has more women in pastoral ministry than many denominations have members. My parish has a nun as a pastoral minister and most of the other ministries are served by women.

Answer 9

It actually wasn't outlawed untill the 3rd century CE, well after the establishment of the Christian Church. This was the result of a long time infighting amongst Christian Sects, about the place of women in the church. So it was written in Paul's letters to the Romans (not by Paul, just someone claiming to be him) that women "are not to teach men, and are to remain silent in the church." This was to establish the dominance of men, as many felt that women should be equal in this new religion, since God created all and all were given grace by Christ's death. It was a purely political move, and was later written into the bible. For a good account of this, read Bart Erhman's "Misquoting Jesus." It goes into alot more detail about the early church.

Answer 10

The answer is very simple: Jesus believed women were equal and entitled to the same spiritual leadership as men. he founded the Nazarenes, also known as the Gnostics.
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/new_testament/apocrypha/nazarenes/nazarenes_0010.htm

Paul of Tarsus and the Sadducee Jewish High Priests formed the parasitic religion of christianity including the false scriptures listed as the "Bible", especially the New Testament. Paul hated women, hated them with a passion and considered them worse than slaves and domestic animals.
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/new_testament/apocrypha/founders_christianity/founders_christianity_0010.htm

So when Catholic apologists, pr agents and spin doctors say Jesus chose men and so the church follows his tradition, it is really Paul they follow.

And when christians quote the Bible that only men were the founders of christianity, they refuse to acknowledge the true teachings of Jesus in the gnostic texts and his demand that women be treated equally in all matters.

WWJD? What would Jesus Do?
=========================
+ Jesus has been continually mis-represented thanks to Paul of Tarsus for 2000 years.

+ He would hope that people who believe in him, would listen to his plea for women to be treated as equal and with respect in all matters rather than just follow whatever they are told by a religious organization with vested interests.

+ Above all that people who falsely claim to be speaking in his name stop.

Answer 11

Dude, religion is made up. Almost all religions in general have a very poor opinion of women minus a few pagan religions. If you study ancient mythology, you'll find that all religions are a rip off of a previous religion. Each have common threads:don't kill, don't lie, don't covet, etc. My favorite is how woman is inferior - yet still still equal in the eyes of the sky god. Basically, they had to throw that "equality but only in heaven and not on earth" so that they could get women to continue baking the cookies, squeezing out kids, and basically being a piece of property all for the glorification of her man in the name of god. Revolting, isn't it?

I'm an atheist too so I'm right there with ya!