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Ordination of women
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Within Christianity there is a controversy over the possible ordination
of women as priests or ministers. This controversy is based on two
things:
* the understanding of humanity expressed as both male and female: What
does being male or female mean, and what do they imply?
* the understanding of priesthood: What is it? What does it express? Is
it just leading prayers, or is there something else being expressed?
Contents
1 The Catholic church
2 Eastern Orthodox
3 Anglican Communion
4 Other Protestant denominations
5 See also
The Catholic church
The Catholic Church sees maleness and femaleness as being two different
ways of expressing our common humanity. The commonly heard phrase "gender
roles" implies that the phenomenon of the sexes is a mere surface
phenomenon, an accident. However, the Catholic Church teaches that there
is an ontological (deep) difference between humanity expressed as male
humanity and humanity expressed as female humanity. Whilst many functions
are interchangeable between men and women, some are not, because maleness
and femaleness are not interchangeable.
Relevant Church documents on the subject include:
* "Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women
to the Ministerial Priesthood." Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, October 15, 1976.
* Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (On Ordination to the
Priesthood)." Pope John Paul II, May 22, 1994. "Apostolic Letter
* Mulieris Dignnitatem (On the Dignity of Women)." Pope
John Paul II, August 15, 1988.
* Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic view is that the priest is not only a prayer-leader. Prayer
leaders may be women (e.g. a woman can and often does lead at a public
recitation of the Rosary, for example).
Pope John Paul II, in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, explained the Catholic
understanding that the priesthood is a special role specially set out by
Jesus when he chose a dozen men out of his group of male and female
followers. John Paul notes that Jesus chose the Twelve (cf. Mk 3:13-14;
Jn 6:70) after a night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12) and that the Apostles
themselves were careful in the choice of their successors. The priesthood
is "specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the
Incarnate Word himself (cf. Mt 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk 3:13-16;
16:14-15)".
Pope Paul VI, quoted by Pope John Paul II in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis,
wrote "She (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."
However, the Catholic Church states that ordination is not required for
salvation, nor does it effect salvation in the one ordained. In other
words, a priest can go to hell just as easily as a layperson. The
hierarchical structure that includes the ordained ministerial priesthood
is ordered to benefit the holiness of the entire body of the faithful,
and not to ensure the salvation of the ordained minister. There is no
additional benefit in terms of automatic holiness that comes about
through ordination.
As to why Jesus himself chose only men for the priestly ministry, the
Church does not know. Pope John Paul II wrote, in Mulieris Dignitatem:
"In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free
and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with
which, in all his behaviour, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation
of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the
traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time."
In Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul wrote: "the fact that the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the
mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly
shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean
that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as
discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful
observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the
universe."
John Paul II concluded his Apostolic Letter by saying: "I declare that
the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on
women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the
Church's faithful."
[edit]
Eastern Orthodox
The Eastern Orthodox Church follows the same line of reasoning as the
Catholic Church with respect to ordination of priests. Some Orthodox
Churches are prepared to accept the ordination of women as Deacons.
[edit]
Anglican Communion
Some national churches within the Anglican Communion ordain women both as
priests and bishops (Epsicopal Church USA, Anglican Church of Canada).
Other national churches ordain women as priests but not as bishops
(Church of England). Many other national churches (in Africa, for
example) ordain only men.
[edit]
Other Protestant denominations
Many Protestant denominations do not have an understanding of priesthood
separate from that of prayer leader. Most Protestant denominations do not
use the term "priest," reserving that title for Jesus only, and instead
use the term "minister." Ministers function as prayer leaders and
teachers in the individual parish community. More liberal Protestant
denominations do have women acting as ministers and/or have no
theological objections against it. More fundamentalist denominations of
Protestantism do not ordain women.
In 1956, the Methodist Church in America (today The United Methodist
Church) granted full clergy rights to women. Since that time, women have
been ordained full Elders (pastors) in the denomination, and several have
been consecrated to the episcopacy.
See also
* Christian views of women
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