Actually, there is a considerable difference between, for want of a better term, the squabbling and accommodation between Catholics and Anglicans and the permissible gender of priests. The differences are rooted both in Scripture and in the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. (This explanation, if necessary, will have to take place off list.)
For what it is worth, in Orthodoxy (and in the first 1000 years or so of Catholicism) priests -- male priests, that is -- could be married. Although, as I best understand it, the rule was that the marriage had to take place before ordination. Put differently, no ordained priest could marry. Also, there was -- and is -- a rule in both Orthodoxy and Catholicism that bishops could not be married. Neither Church has ever formally accepted women priests, married or not. The rule in Western Christianity regarding married priests was, at first, a rule of discipline. Thus quite different than the rule against women priests. Pope John Paul II has sought, perhaps successfully (I leave the question to canon lawyers) to change the rule of discipline to a rule of doctrine (with, of course, the exception for married Anglican priests who become Catholics). -----Original Message----- From: Jean Dudley [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 8:42 AM To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics Subject: Re: Harm to Others as a Factor in Accommodation Doctrine Marci said: > I would disagree, because any woman who wants to be a priest is > clearly at odds with heavily document ecclesiology in the Church that > forbids them becoming a priest. Their views, therefore, cut them out > of the picture before you even get to gender. As a side note, the Episcopal church in America ordains female priests. Not "ministers", but priests. Doctrinally, the two churches are very close, with the exception of the doctrine that the Pope is the spiritual head of the church. In fact, the Catholic church accepts the ordination of male priests by the Episcopal church, insofar as to allow married male priests to convert and retain their ordination. This has been under-publicized, but there are many former Episcopal priests serving as Catholic priests who are married. They are not required to follow the rule of celibacy. Many priests converted due to increasing disaffection with the Episcopal church's liberal policy of ordaining homosexuals and lesbians. Presumably they would have to acknowledge the pope's authority, which was the original issue that forced the schism under Henry VIII. I'm not sure what bearing this has on the discussion, but it seems that if the Catholic Church can bend the rule of celibacy for male priests, surely they can bend the rules about women lacking that wee bit of proud flesh, but who uphold the authority of the pope and are willing to abide by the rule of celibacy. Jean Dudley http://jeansvoice.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others. _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
