As a Catholic Woman does it upset you that you can not be a priest?

Question

With all the examples of powerful women associated with Jesus: His own mother, Mary and Martha, Mary of Magdalen, and the many powerful women of the early church, as found in acts: Phoebe the Deaconess is the most significant. Why is it that the Catholic church will not let women become priests. Have you ever wanted to be a priest? What's your experience, thoughts, comments

Answer 1

Pastor Billy says: I'm just a male bystander don't mind me, just observing all the answers by the Catholic women. One thing... with regards to the nature of the ministerial priesthood we understand this to be a creation of Jesus himself and therefore it cannot be changed. PastorArt mentions the general priesthood yet I'm sure he does not profess all born again believers are also elders or pastors of the Church and therefore his affirmation is most deceiving.

Lets turn this question around shall we, if Catholic so highly Honor the Mother of our Lord than why would anyone come to the conclusion that it is not inclusive of both genders?

Answer 2

I am very glad not to be a priest. I would never wish to be one. I would never wish to see a woman become a priest in the Roman Catholic church. Women have had many powerful roles to play in the Catholic church and those women were saints and religious. None of these women ever expressed a desire to overturn holy tradition handed down by Christ and the Apostles by becoming a priest.
Priesthood is best suited for a man and we trust the Lord's Wisdom on this one. Our Lady , the purest of all women was humble, content and submissive with the role God had given Her. Never did She seek to be elevated to the status of Priesthood. She has the highest place of honor in the Roman Catholic church and to imagine Her or any Catholic woman seeking to be a priest is rebellious and absurd.

Answer 3

I'm not a christian any more, but this question really hit home.
When I was little (among a million other things) I wanted to be a priest, you know direct line to god know everything about the creator etc. Then I found out i'd never be allowed to. And on top of that i couldn't have a family even if I were the right gender.
I asked once why this was, and someone in particular answered with some quote that said women were to be scilent and covered completely in church. And that a priest can be only for god so they couldn't have babies.
I couldn't convince my self that christianity could be for me after that.
Even now that there are women priests in some branches and had class with the son of a preacher. Ofcourse not catholic, but I think at this point I couldn't be a christian in any sect.

Answer 4

Within your question lies the answer.

Indeed there were many very powerful women that surrounded Jesus during his ministry.

It is Jesus not the Catholic church that instituted the priesthood.

If Jesus felt it appropriate don't you think he would have appointed any of these powerful women during his time? H e did not.

I have never wanted to be a priest and in fact I find it very offensive when some New Age women wishes to be a priest. There are MANY wonderful vocations for women to fulfill God's plan for their life. If a women believes that she has a spiritual calling from God; she should pursue it. But never the priesthood.

I have a personal experience of meeting a so-called woman priest at a talk in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. I found her to be very kind, loving and indeed spiritual minded. However, the overriding knowledge that she was not to be a priest superceded all of these lovely characters of hers. There is not doubt in my mind that she was meant to be a religious of some kind, however she diverted and went to be ordained by a Bishop here in the U.S., just goes to show that this Bishop in allowing this does not believe in Jesus or His ministry or His words. The problem was really him, not her. I pray often for her to open her eyes to the offense that she has done and retract it. And for the wayward Bishop in Pennsylvania that allowed this travesty.

Answer 5

Actually, Catherine, you couldn't be more wrong.

According to the earliest manuscripts of Paul's letters to the Romans, he clearly referred to Phoebe as Deacon. Not deaconess (because that form of the word did not exist in classical Greek), but simply deacon. He also names several other women who served in church offices of the time, including a woman who served with her husband to head up another church.

In Timothy, Paul clearly states that there are only two church offices: Bishop and Deacon. Deacons served the role that we now ascribe to priests today.

Secondly, the entire point of Paul's letter to the Roman's was to introduce Phoebe to the Roman Christian congregation. Her mission there was to preside over the raising of contributions for the Christian church in Jerusalem. Now why would Paul send her to the most important city in the world on a mission he considered vital if he felt that women could not serve in the role of priest?

Go back and read a credible translation of the Bible. Paul was sometimes contradictory, but he did state clearly in his letter to Philemon that there are no men or women in the church, but rather simply servants of Christ. To me, that's as egalitarian a statement as I can imagine.

Answer 6

There are no "deaconess" in the scriptures. Yes there were many women who followed Christ...but women are not to be in authority over men. They are to be submissive. Now I know that "ticks" some women off...but truth is truth. A deacon is to have a wife and children......women do not have wives...therefore do not qualify to be a deacons. A woman can be a servant in the church and yes a deacon is a servant however the deacon is also male and a woman is to be in submission to the men of the church as well as her husband. Phebe was a servant no doubt....but no where is she refered to as a Deaconess. Calling a woman a "deaconsess" is a tradition of man and not a BIBLICAL stand.

1Timothy 3:12 Let the DEACONS be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

1Timothy 3:13 For they that have used the office of a DEACON well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Answer 7

Blame the early church for banning married priests and woman priests. the former replaced into as a results of very fact the priest in those days could go away their holdings to their families to no longer the Church which might have cut back down on greater assets and money for the Church. So a regulation replaced into exceeded that no priest could desire to marry. As for the girls, Pagan religions had women as Priestesses and the church does not enable women to have that power returned, so they threw them into "nunneries" the place they slaved away for the church and the adverse. The land proprietors with many daughters could be sent to the convent so they did no longer could desire to pay a large dowry. The catholic church IS taking switched over pastors whom are already married (and whose church ideals are akin to the Catholics (such as a results of fact the Anglicans) and letting them be priests. there's no longer a woman "Priest" in my lifetime mutually as adult men nonetheless rule the vatican and the college of cardinals the place each and all the alternatives come from... What? did you think of the POPE replaced into the single making each and all the alternatives? study White Smoke by potential of Father Greeley and that i think of he wrote one reported as the vatican papers??? the two could desire to do with the working of the vatican. The pope is barely a figurehead. the genuine power is the college of cardinals.

Answer 8

Yes it does.

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 9

Hi, I'm a beginner student in a theology course,and I want to make a comment to what (the architect )said, St. Paul does not hate women!!
He was highly protective of them,He wanted their heads covered and so on,to make christian women distinguised from other women who (when leaving their hair uncovered)were known to be men seekers.
And he didn't imagine that his advice would last to this day and be taken against him.He respected women very much.

THat's what I took in my class.
Thank you

Answer 10

No. NOt a problem. I do not have leadership skills like that. I like being good at what I am good at.

I believe that a deaconess is a servant in leadership of other women.