Issue with Ordaining Women

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Hi everyone. I am currently in RCIA, and I am coming from an Episcopal background. I am battling with the issue of women not being allowed to become deacons, priests, or bishops. I’ve read that the reason women are not allowed to be placed in these roles is because Jesus didn’t choose any women to be his apostles. Besides this, is there any other reasons for it?

I am female, an attorney, an elected official, a wife, a mother, and a leader all combined into one. I think if women were allowed to fulfill these holy roles they would make very good leaders in the church (especially when the number of men going into the priesthood is falling). Moreover, the likelihood of females becoming pedophiles is low, so that also would thwart the current problem in the church.

I am a bit dismayed that women aren’t allowed to be placed in these roles simply based on the difference of anatomical parts. In short, I think women have a lot to offer if given the opportunity, so I am having a hard time with this rule/tradition.

Thanks for your time in reading this.
 
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I am somewhat puzzled. I believe that the denomination you are leaving accommodates female clergy, so why leave it.

Secondly, you are joining the RC presumably to follow its teachings? If your plan is to follow only some of those, or to change a few, then what is your purpose?
 
Pope St John Paul II wrote something back around 1994 explaining this. Don’t remember the document title. He basically stated what you said, that Christ selected all men for the gospel ministry. And, the informal statement that others have made was that if Jesus wanted female priests, he would have made his mother the first one.

Fact: most Catholic men aren’t priests, either. Just wanted to point that out.

An essential point to me, when this subject is brought up, is, is there some gospel message that hasn’t been presented because there are only male priests?

A more theological answer might be based on the fact that, otherwise speaking, God created male and female for a divine reason. In your logic, there’s essentially no distinction between men and women, except, as you say, anatomical parts. Perhaps: Christ was male, so priests are male.
 
The Church’s stance is that it doesn’t not have the power or authority to ordain women and that it will never happen. That’s enough of a reason for me. End of discussion.
 
Oh, yes, Episcopalians do accommodate women becoming priests; you are right.

I’m just more puzzled as to why Catholics don’t. Are there other historically theological reasons (besides Jesus not having any female apostles)?

I am honestly trying to learn more about Catholicism, and this is the biggest question I have. I’m just more interested in the reasoning/logic. I mean no disrespect at all with my question - I’m just trying to learn more about Catholicism.
 
I admire your stance on this that you are loyal to your leaders. I was just wondering if there was anything that you, as seasoned Catholics, knew regarding this.
 
StJemma said:
I think women have a lot to offer if given the opportunity,
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Indeed yes! The priesthood is a very narrow and specific role that is primarily focused on providing sacraments to the flock. There are a great many other roles and opportunities, many of which are less restrictive than the priesthood.

God has a call and gifts for everyone to serve in His Body. He already had this plan before you were born. If you needed to be a priest to fulfill His plan for you, then you would have been born a male.
 
There are several reasons.
  1. being that the priest stands in Persona Christi for Christ.
  2. Jesus KNEW we would be having this discussion, yet He still did choose not to ordain women.
  3. Sacramental Theology has taught us for 2000 years that the Sacarment of Holy Orders will not work on a woman.
  • if the Church were to change this, there would be MAJOR issues as everything from the Trinity to the Sacarments themselves would be eligible to be changed.
  • we beleive the Church is infallible in regards to teaching faith and morals. If the Church has been wrong about sacramental theology for 2000 years then we all might as well become evangelical Protestants.
  1. it’s not just the Catholic Church. NONE of the ancient Eastern Churches ordain women. Only Protestants and few other 19th & 20 century schismatic groups ordain women. The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East, etc all do NOT ordain women (and like the Catholic Church) claim the Sacarment will not work on a woman.
  2. Finally, it’s not about whether women could do a good job or even a better job. The priesthood is not a career / job. The truth is that for reasons we can only ponder and theorize, Jesus did not give the Church the authority to ordain women.
Here are a few sites that do a far better job of answering this than I ever could:


www.catholic.com

What the Early Church Believed: Women and the Priesthood

Jesus instituted an all-male priesthood. These quotations from the Fathers constitute a part of the tradition on which this infallible teaching rests.
www.catholic.com www.catholic.com

www.catholic.com

Why No Women's Ordination?

During John Paul II’s visit to the United States for World Youth Day, a television reporter interviewed a 14-year-old Catholic girl who was boarding a bus...
www.catholic.com www.catholic.com

https://www.catholic.com/index.php/magazine/print-edition/why-the-church-doesnt-ordain-women

https://www.catholic.com/women-priests

I pray this helps.

God Bless
 
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I have the impression, and it is only an impression, that Catholic priesthood continues the tradition of and is based on the Old Testament model.
 
Thank you all for your help and answering my question. Being new to Catholicism, I didn’t realize several things about the Catholic Church: a) that women can be leaders in the church without having to be priests; b) that being a priest isn’t a career. I know now it’s a very specific calling, rather than just a job.

Thank you all for your very respectful statements. I was raised Protestant (and that particular church I was in had a very poor view of women, so I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going down that road again). I can tell Catholics revere both men and women and that both genders deserve dignity.

Thank you all and peace be with you.
 
Oh, wow. I hadn’t though of it that way, but you are right. Very insightful, thank you!
 
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