Why can’t women be priests?

[CRM_Brother]

First, I think we need to be clear. When we speak of why women cannot be priests, we speak of the ordained priesthood, not the universal priesthood. Women can participate in the universal priesthood in the same capacity as men. The three aspects of this universal priesthood are personal sacrifice, ministry, and blessing. The universal priesthood calls us to offer up personal sacrifice for others and for the Church, to care for the people and tasks which God has entrusted to us, and to petition God for blessings upon ourselves or others.

This is distinct from ordained priesthood, for ordained priesthood focus upon liturgical sacrifice, ministry, and blessing. Liturgy in the broadest sense is public act done for the good of the people. In entering into the ordained priesthood, men liturgically enter into the God’s act of sacrifice, ministry, and blessing through the administration of the sacraments, participating with the Holy Spirit in the guiding of the Church, and the direct invocation of God’s blessing (“I bless you…” instead of “May God bless you…”).

As mankind is inherently foreign to these divine acts, they must enter into this act of God from the outside. This is one of the greatest aspects of the inherent masculine identity of the ordained priesthood. This aspect of entering into relationships from the outside is inherent in the male human nature.

The female human nature enters into relationships on an existential level. Female nature approaches a relationship from the current state of who they and the other person currently are. The relationship arises from the compatibility of these two realities

The male human nature enters into relationships from a state of expectation and growth. Male nature approaches a relationship not necessarily from an immediate state of compatibility but from a possible compatibility resulting from growth in which two dissimilar personalities grow to compatibility.

(Post 1 of 2)

 

[CRM_Brother]

(Post 2 of 2)

This is seen in motherhood and fatherhood. Mothers form a natural bond with their child as they grow within them. Even after birth, the mother’s relationship with their child is centered around the current state of their child’s growth.

Fathers enter into a relationship with their child at his or her birth. Until that time, the Father cannot have a true relationship as he has not interacted with the child. Instead, the Father is sustained by expectation. He focuses his future relationship on who the child will become, not necessarily with the growing fetus within his wife’s body.

Modern psychology has supported this view of masculine identity. In child development, masculine identity is imparted upon a child through adult male validation of the fulfillment of their growth: when a father, adult male relative or friend recognizes the child as a peer in certain aspects of their lives (fishing, athletics, yard work, cleaning the house, etc.).

While we recognize that these approaches to motherhood and fatherhood are found in both men and women, fatherhood is found as the primary characteristic in masculine nature and motherhood is found as the primary characteristic in feminine nature. Motherhood is secondary in male nature and fatherhood is secondary in female nature.

The masculine nature of God, himself, is reaffirmed by this ability of motherhood to exist within male nature. The few examples in Revelation as God exhibiting characteristics of a nurturing mother when taken amongst the vast collection of examples of God’s masculinity and fatherhood do not undermine God’s identity as a Father but rather reinforce it.

Thus in the Incarnation, God became male in Christ because the male nature resonated with God’s approach to mankind. He desired to raise mankind from their sins and called them to perfection. He had the expectation for the growth of humanity as a Father has the expectation for the growth of his child.

So too, the nature of the priesthood enters into this expectation for the growth of mankind. Male nature is fully oriented to conform to this nature. If women were to be ordained as priests, they would constantly have to work against the primary aspect of their nature. It would be emotional and psychological violence against women to expect them to deny such a fundamental aspect of their own nature.

 

[po18guy]

Those pushing for a female priesthood do not primarily have a problem with the Catholic Church. Their problem is with Christ.

 

[stpurl]

And that is precisely why these people are so loud about both “made up teachings from MEN” and the changeableness of doctrine/dogma.

Both of those try to take Christ right out of the equation.

It is ‘assumed’ that either Jesus never taught the doctrine (implying that this was all ‘made up’ by men), or that if He DID teach it, it was because ‘in those days’ people couldn’t accept women as priests (ignoring the entire history of theology and, well, history), and He was just ‘waiting patiently’ for the world to catch up to Him. . .

And of course, the other tactic if the above doesn’t work is to blandly argue that, “well the Church changed a lot of other things so IF this was a ‘real teaching’ from God, then with the whole ‘bind and loose’ the CHURCH can ‘make God’ do as they will… . .and of course if it was not from God but one of those made up things, don’t try to tell US that ‘the Church can’t change it’ because it changed ‘everything else’ and this just proves the Church is sexist blah blah.

Carefully keeping Jesus ‘out of it’ except to weeping proclaim how “JESUS would let women in”, “JESUS is upset over how mean you are, JESUS would NEVER be so hateful to women”. . .

Diabolical. . .but the good news is they will never win.

 

[TomH1]

I’m looking for concrete reasons women can’t be priests.

Because the Church teaches that they cannot.

Is there an official Church teaching about it?

Yes, including St John Paul II’s apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis. Some consider this to be an exercise of papal infallibility although it has never officially been declared as such.

Is it merely tradition?

Not tradition with a small ‘t’ as in the sense, ‘this is what we’ve always done’. Definitely, part of the Tradition with a capital ‘T’, a part of the definitive teaching of the Church.

Is it something that can be changed by the Church or is it considered something instituted by Jesus that cannot be changed?

Pope St John Paul II declared (cf. above cite apostolic letter) that even if he wanted to allow women to be ordained he lacked the authority to do so because it is a divine law.

 

[po18guy]

Those who cry the loudest, in seeking a false ‘equality’ with masculinity, have stripped themselves of the beauty and mystique of their femininity. What a tragic loss.

I certainly admire and appeal to all of the great Saints, but what really capivates me is the great women Saints and doctors of the Church. I am in awe of them.

 

[Dan_Defender]

We are an Apostolic Church, and neither Jesus nor the Apostles ordained women. So it has never happened in the history of the Church, why change now?