The Male Priesthood

A little while ago I wrote a research essay on a controversial but interesting and important topic. A lot of the ideas in the essay come from notes that a friend (N) and I took for something else, so half the credit goes to N for gathering the information.

Can Women be Catholic Priests?

“I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful” (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis) (Brom 2012). Despite these words stated by Pope John Paul II in 1994, there are groups of “Roman Catholic women-priests” who still preside. They insist that they are “loyal members of the church who stand in the prophetic tradition of holy obedience to the Spirit's call to change an unjust law that discriminates against women” (Womenpriests 2012). The question that will be addressed is whether grounds exist for a female priesthood. Women are clearly different from men, a fact which the Church has always recognized in her understanding of the roles men and women hold in her service. Christ's ultimate authority, the Church He established, and the early Church Fathers leads us to the understanding that the priesthood is not meant for women. Catholic theologians loyal to the Magisterium- the teaching body of the Church- agree that the case of women priests is settled for the moral and ecclesiastical good of all mankind.

Men and women have different roles to play as they are quite distinguishable from each other both physically and mentally. Rebelling against this fact, as many feminists do, is “rebelling against our human nature” (Kreeft 2012). Can't a women preside over mass just as well as a man, asks the feminist? Why are men favored over women in the priestly role? It does not follow, however, that men are “favored” just because they alone can be priests. For this is confusing personal worth with function. This is most clearly seen in the example and role of Jesus' mother, Mary, who was not made an apostle or priestess. It is clear in the Bible that Jesus held Mary very close to his heart, and she was anything but insignificant or invaluable. In fact, she is the most honored saint in the Catholic Church. Thus the Catholic Church is clearly not denigrating the personal worth of women. Women just have a different role to play than men (Kreeft 2012).

One could give an opposite argument to defend the male priesthood. Men cannot have babies, so does this make men more inferior to women (Michelle paragraph 2)? Any sane person would say that of course it does not. As well, if an exclusive male priesthood is an act of discrimination in the Catholic Church, then likewise, each act of creation is an act of discrimination, stated by Catholic apologist Peter Kreeft in his lecture on priestesses. One could say that it is discriminating to light when darkness is present, or unfair to the land wherever there is sea, or unfair to plants that they cannot be animals. The truth is that not even most males are called to the priesthood. One could ask themselves, is this also then an insult to all men who are not priests (Kreeft 2012)?

Most Christians would say that God invented the priesthood. Catholics believe that the Church received this priesthood, and when it did, it was composed of only males (Brom par 2). The Church does not have the power to change the nature of the priesthood as she is not the author (Kreeft 2012). God authorized this nature of the male priesthood from far back in the Old Testament and the Jewish tradition with the priesthood of Melchizedek of Old. In fact, all other ancient religions, except for Jews and Catholics, have/had priestesses (Oddie p 48). Some modern Catholics want to change this ancient tradition of the male priesthood without fully understanding the reasons behind it. Kreeft points out, however, that “if we don't understand the reason for an ancient tradition or rule or institution, that should be a good reason for not abolishing it until we do understand it”. An analogy to this would be something such as knocking down a building when you do not know why it is there (Kreeft 2012).

History shows that the early Church Fathers and early councils in the Church clearly denied the ordination of women. St. Augustine defended the Church against priestesses when he said, [The Quintillians are heretics who] give women predominance so that these, too, can be honored with the priesthood among them. They say, namely, that Christ revealed himself . . . to Quintilla and Priscilla [two Montanist prophetesses] in the form of a woman" (Heresies 1:17 [A.D. 428]) (Brom 2012). In the Council of Nicaea, it was stated that “Similarly, in regard to the deaconesses, as with all who are enrolled in the register, the same procedure is to be observed. We have made mention of the deaconesses, who have been enrolled in this position, although, not having been in any way ordained, they are certainly to be numbered among the laity” (Canon 19 [A.D. 325]) (Brom 2012). These are just two of numerous examples that prove the early Church withheld women from being priests.

If the early church was clear in its rejection of women priests, it was also clear, as it is today, that to be Catholic is to surrender entirely to the Church's moral doctrines including the doctrine on the male priesthood, for the ecclesiastical common good of society. The group of “Catholic women-priests” states on their website that “Yes, we have challenged and broken the Church's Canon Law 1024, an unjust law that discriminates against women. Despite what some bishops may lead the faithful to believe, our ordinations are valid because we are ordained in apostolic succession within the Roman Catholic Church” (Womenpriests, par 6). This does not make sense, however, because if one adheres to some doctrines within the Roman Catholic church, but then disregards others as false, they cannot call themselves true Roman Catholics (Blackburn par 8). A true Catholic is obedient to the Magisterium. Thus these women priests are lying about their identity, a fact which in itself discredits their claim to be valid priestesses.

Jesus himself started the Church by choosing only men to be His apostles. If Jesus had wanted females to be priests, he would have chosen females as some of his twelve apostles as well (Oddie 61). Some say that in choosing exclusively males, “Christ bowed to cultural limitations”. “If Christ bowed down to this male chauvinism, this is a clear denial of the incarnation, which is the very essence of the Christian faith” (Kreeft 2012). Christ would not bow to the culture of His time, in fact, he very often did the opposite. As well, orthodox Christianity has always maintained that the priest represents Christ and the Church represents the people: the Church has always been thought of as feminine. If women are allowed to be priests, this amounts to a morally unacceptable lesbian relationship (Kreeft 2012). Priests act “in persona Christi”, and since Jesus was a man, it is reasonable to assume his priests should be men (Michelle paragraph 1).

All in all, “Christ's sheep follow Him, not lead Him” (Kreeft 2012). If one believes Jesus started the Church, it is clear in the Gospels that Jesus wanted men to be the priests. This is not because women are less important than men, but because they have a different role in this life. However, women are a part of the common priesthood of the faithful. The common priesthood of the faithful, as described in Scripture, is distinguishable from priestly ordination, which is also described in Scripture in John 20: 22-23- “...he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they will be forgiven...”. Peter Kreeft says, “God ordained two sexes, not one, to be equal in value, different in nature, and complementary in function. He created women to be a kind of priest that men cannot be; for motherhood is a kind of priesthood and mediation between God and the world. Every mother brings a new image of God into this world as the Blessed Mother brought God Himself into this world” (368)

Works Cited

Oddie, William. What Will Happen to God? London: Photobooks (Bristol) Limited, 1984.

Kreeft, Peter J. Catholic Christianity. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2001.

Kreeft, Peter. “Women and the Priesthood”. Online lecture. Franciscan University of Steubenville, 1994. http://www.peterkreeft.com/audio/09_priestesses.htm. 2012.

Blackburn, Jim. Is it a Doctrine or a Discipline? Catholic Answers. http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/is-it-a-doctrine-or-a-discipline. 2012.

Arnold, Michelle. What is it that keeps women from being priests? Catholic Answers. http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/what-is-it-that-keeps-women-from-being-priests

Brom, Robert. Women and the Priesthood. San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2004. http://www.catholic.com/tracts/women-and-the-priesthood

Roman Catholic Womenpriests. California: Roman Catholic Womenpriests- USA, Inc, 2012. http://romancatholicwomenpriests.org/