for what reason women cannot be ordained priests in the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

There are several reasons, not all of which would be easy to explain in short.

I believe the main reason is that Christ's church is refered to as his bride. The priest, at mass, represents Christ and the church is Christs bride. If a woman were to say mass, it would be misrepresentative of the relationship between Christ and his church.

Men and woman are equal in the eyes of God, but this equality is not synonymous with sameness. They play different roles within the Church.

I think I'm simplifying it somewhat to keep the answer short, but that's the basics.

Answer 2

There are many reasons for this but the exact reason is not exactly known cause every Catholic church answers differently when asked about this.

One reason may be because of the conservative stance of the Church. Although the Catholic church had gone through a long time, it has preserved almost all of its hard stand traditions. Moreover, other than Pope John Paul II, all the other popes resist such change especially the current Pope. Even the high ranking Cardinals in the Catholic as of now are against any changes in the tradition and the Catholic Church's doctrine.

Secondly, the Catholic church maintains that man and woman is equal before God but being equal doesn't really mean that they have to have the same role in serving God.

Third, church authorities say that the priestly mission of the priests are patterned in the mission and life of Jesus Christ when he was still with us in Jerusalem. One proof they say is the choosing of twelve apostles, all MALES.

But no matter what the Catholic Church authorities say, one thing is clear, the Bible is not clear on whether women are prohibited in performing the priestly mission of Christ.

Answer 3

Pastor Billy says: for the same reason men cannot be mothers, God did not plan it that way. the priest is male because he is also persona Christi. Christ came as a man not woman, he choose men to be ministerial priests in the apostles.

My question to you is why would women have to be priests? The New Testament priesthood of the Catholic Church is not interchangeable with Protestant pastor-hood. The later lacks authority and the fullness of Christ's revelation that is why you'll discovery some Protestant denominations which allow women pastors.

Women have a certain vocation within the Church and being priest is not one of them. They can teach and normally do, once again the function of a pastor in the Catholic Church is broader than one in the Protestant denominations and I think you need to discover the depth of it.

Answer 4

The church bases this on... "[The Church] holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church." Put simply its just tradition, as someone already stated.

Answer 5

It really boils down to fear of schism if any weakening of the current position occurred.

Theological arguments:
1) The argument that Jesus became male not female therefore all priests must be male would mean that Jesus became male not human; because "human was created in God's image, male and female created He them". Christ's incarnation being interpreted as male human not human has profound implications regarding what human is, and salvation, which are impossible to reconcile with Bible or RC Tradition.

2) The argument that Jesus only appointed men to be Apostles is false; the meaning of Apostle is one appointed to spread the Good News; the revelation at the tomb was to women, who first witnessed to disbelieving men (those in that Upper Room). That the men disbelieved is not significant; Thomas disbelieved the Risen Christ Himself, at first; the women WERE appointed. Plus women ARE cited even in the surviving scriptural canon as OT and NT deaconesses, "bishops", prophets, etc.

3) The more purely RC understanding of priesthood's mystical reality means that Mary, as the closest-to-perfect-as-humans-get obedience to God, and in bringing Christ into the world, is indeed a template for priests. In the Tradition, this has in the past been more obviously discussed and celebrated.

4) do we really need to discuss if women's inability to grow a beard or pee with precision while standing is a flaw which renders them unable to ressemble Christ sufficiently?? (I think this was an thought advanced by Paul VI.)

5) in an age where male ministers of all Christian flavors are getting caught as adulterers, pedophiles, etc., can any medeival concepts of women as inherently morally weaker be taken seriously??

6) all the Biblical injunctions regarding women remaining silent etc. advanced by some non RC Christian theologies are taken out of context, and cannot be reconciled with RC Tradition, including the contemporary role of women in the RC Church.

Answer 6

Jesus taught with the aid of occasion besides as with the aid of words. He appointed in basic terms men as His instructors and shepherds. We keep on with His occasion and ordain in basic terms adult men. as a consequence the Church does not have the authority to alter what Jesus taught. God bless! In Christ Fr. Joseph

Answer 7

There have never been woman priests in the Church founded by Christ. There were priestesses in the pagan religions which abounded at the time of Christ. There have been women who claimed to be priests, even in the early Church. Of these Tertullian writes:

"And the heretical women themselves, how shameless are they! They make bold to teach, to debate, to work exorcisms, to undertake cures, and perhaps even to baptize. Their ordinations are casual, capricious, and changeable." (Demurrer Against the Heretics, 41,5-6, A.D. 200)

The prohibition against women preaching can be found in 1 Timothy 2:12:

"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." (KJV)

and also in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35:

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (KJV)

As chauvinistic as this sounds in our liberated modern world, women were not allowed to speak in the synagogue in Jesus' time and He, who was not afraid to correct any impropriety in God's eyes, never spoke against this practice and His apostles followed His example. Neither did He choose a woman to be one of His apostles. As Pope John Paul II said in his Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (May 1994):
"In order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, and that this judgement is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful." (emphasis added).

Answer 8

Well this is one of the few things that this church is doing by the bible. Give them time and they will mess it up. Women cannot be in authority in the church (yes that means they cannot be pastors) God word says it but we can ignore that cant we?

Answer 9

Tradition.

Answer 10

Cos then priests will become pedophile womanizers.