Why Can't Women Become Priests?

[Mendieta]

The Catholic church does not let women become Priests… Why is that?

Wasn’t Mary Magdalene a great preacher and teacher? Why has that all of a sudden been stopped?

 

[Mommyof02green]

The Catholic church does not let women become Priests… Why is that?

Wasn’t Mary Magdalene a great preacher and teacher? Why has that all of a sudden been stopped?

When were women priest???

As far as women being great teachers…
A women being a great teacher does NOT = priest.

There have been great women in the history of the Catholic Church. There is even women that are consider to be a “doctor of the church”.

 

[LilyM]

She was not at the Last Supper, nor was she recorded as being present when Jesus ascended into heaven. These are the points at which Jesus commissions the apostles with their priestly functions - forgiveness of sins, the Eucharist, preaching and baptism.

Who says that she was a preacher or teacher? She isn’t recorded in any of the canonised Gospels as such. I think there are only one or two that mention her as such.

And by the way being a preacher or teacher is not the same thing as being a priest - Catholic women certainly can and do preach and teach, they don’t fulfil any of the other priestly functions though. And they don’t do so in Church in obedience to St Paul’s instructions.

 

[Mendieta]

But why, alot of people considered St Paul to be a male shouvenest (sorry don’t know exact spelling).

Is there any real reason why woman can not be Priests?

 

[thistle]

The Catholic church does not let women become Priests… Why is that?

Wasn’t Mary Magdalene a great preacher and teacher? Why has that all of a sudden been stopped?

Women have NEVER been priests and can never become priests. I don’t know what fantasy you are thinking of when making your statements about Mary Magdelene. Maybe you got them from Dan Brown!!

The Church teaching is very clear and as a Catholic you should already know it and you MUST accept it.

CCC 1577 “Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination.” The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

 

[deb1]

Males and females have different roles in the Church. This doesn’t mean that the female role is any less important then a man’s it is just different.

It was God, who decided that women-for whatever reasons- could not be priest. That is something that we simply have to accept.

This does not mean that a woman can not be an important member of the church, nor does it mean that she can’t teach, or be a biblical scholar. It only means that she can’t be a priest.

I think that some people-extreme feminist-believe that the inability of a woman to be a priest somehow makes her position in the Catholic church subordinate to men. This is untrue.

 

[Mommyof02green]

CCC 1577 “Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination.” The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

I put some of the text in red: The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. What does that mean???

**Well who are Jesus’ 12 Apostles???

**There is no doubt that the 12 Apostles were “special” among all the disciples. The 12 received “special” teachings, etc. If Christ picked men to be the “priest” of His Church, then we should respect that.

 

[Mommyof02green]

Males and females have different roles in the Church. This doesn’t mean that the female role is any less important then a man’s it is just different.

It was God, who decided that women-for whatever reasons- could not be priest. That is something that we simply have to accept.

This does not mean that a woman can not be an important member of the church, nor does it mean that she can’t teach, or be a biblical scholar. It only means that she can’t be a priest.

I think that some people-extreme feminist-believe that the inability of a woman to be a priest somehow makes her position in the Catholic church subordinate to men. This is untrue.

 

[NotWorthy]

I put some of the text in red: The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. What does that mean???

It means that Jesus, through His actions, showed us that He only wants males to be priests. And we, as His bride, the Church, are bound to His wishes and dictates.

 

[Mommyof02green]

It means that Jesus, through His actions, showed us that He only wants males to be priests. And we, as His bride, the Church, are bound to His wishes and dictates.

Thank for the answer! Although I was hoping to get some thoughts and wheels turning in the OP.

Have a Good Day!

 

[demerzel85]

Its very simple actually. The central ministry of the Priest is to offer up a pleasing Sacrifice to God the Father. If one looks in the Old Testament, all the Priests were male. The New Testament fulfills the Old Testament and gives new meaning to the Sacrifice that is offered.

In offering the Sacrifice, the Priest acts in the person of Christ. Christ is male. The words of the consecration very clearly use “this is my body” and “this is my blood”. So the person offering the Sacrifice has to be male just as Christ is male.

 

[puzzleannie]

The Catholic church does not let women become Priests… Why is that?

Wasn’t Mary Magdalene a great preacher and teacher? Why has that all of a sudden been stopped?

all of a sudden? 2000 years is not very suddesn
women have never been priests for the simple reason that Christ established the priesthood, and he chose only males. The Church has no power to change that even if she wanted to, because she is based upon Christ. Christ could have chosen not on Mary Magdalene but his mother or any of the other fine women, who by Gospel accounts were more faithful and who were the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

No where does the NT describe Mary Magdalene or any of the other holy women fulfilling the role of preacher and teacher, although many were great witnesses.

 

[FCEGM]

But why, alot of people considered St Paul to be a male shouvenest (sorry don’t know exact spelling).

Is there any real reason why woman can not be Priests?

“A lot of people considering St. Paul to be a male chauvinist” does not an authoritative Church make.

This article (besides the excellent responses you’ve received) may help:

bringyou.to/apologetics/a51.htm

 

[Mickey]

all of a sudden? 2000 years is not very suddesn
women have never been priests for the simple reason that Christ established the priesthood, and he chose only males. The Church has no power to change that even if she wanted to, because she is based upon Christ. Christ could have chosen not on Mary Magdalene but his mother or any of the other fine women, who by Gospel accounts were more faithful and who were the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

No where does the NT describe Mary Magdalene or any of the other holy women fulfilling the role of preacher and teacher, although many were great witnesses.

Exactly! And as Mommyof02green pointed out, “the 12 were men”. The actions of Jesus Christ and 2000 years of Tradition is the answer to the prohibition against women priests. This does not mean that women are second class Christians. A priest or bishop is not a position of power (although the radical feminists think otherwise). The priesthood is a position of service and obedience. As others have pointed out, there are numerous female saints and doctors of the Church–women were the first to witness Christ’s resurrection–and the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored above any other saint in history. Indeed, the role of females in the Church is vital!!!

 

[NotWorthy]

“A lot of people considering St. Paul to be a male chauvinist” does not an authoritative Church make.

I gotta admit, I loved that response. It’s like saying, “God inspired St. Paul to spout his male chauvinistic prejudices in order to instruct His Children in all truths”. That’s a good one!

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Not again. Beating a dead horse time.

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis explicitly prohibits the ordination of females into the priesthood. And, despite what others will say, it has been infallibly defined. Here is a section from Women and the Priesthood (This Rock: November 2003) on the subject:

In 1994, Pope John Paul II formally declared that the Church does not have the power to ordain women. He stated, “Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church’s judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force. Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter that pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Luke 22:32) 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” (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis 4).

In 1995, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in conjunction with the pope, ruled that this teaching “requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium (cf. Lumen Gentium 25:2)” (Response of Oct. 25, 1995).

 

[Mommyof02green]

“Women In The Bible For Dummies” by Rev. John Trigilio and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti might be a good book for you.

 

[Kendy]

The Catholic church does not let women become Priests… Why is that?

Wasn’t Mary Magdalene a great preacher and teacher? Why has that all of a sudden been stopped?

Oh you poor thing,

This is a terrible place to discuss this topic. You will get beat up so badly.

Anyway, I listened to an audio by Peter Kreeft months ago and I found it very helpful. Check it out: peterkreeft.com/audio/09_priestesses.htm

Kendy

 

[Jennifer_J]

Another way to approach this topic is through the proper species used for the Eucharist. We must use unleavened bread and wine for the Eucharist–we can’t use Wonderbread and koolade and have a valid Eucharist. In the same way, God showed us the proper “species” needed for the priesthood through Jesus, and then Jesus reiterated the need with the apostles–Priests are to be male.

Just because women and men were created differently doesn’t mean one is better than the other. Being equal doesn’t mean being the same.

Jennifer

 

[Mommyof02green]

Another way to approach this topic is through the proper species used for the Eucharist. We must use unleavened bread and wine for the Eucharist–we can’t use Wonderbread and koolade and have a valid Eucharist. In the same way, God showed us the proper “species” needed for the priesthood through Jesus, and then Jesus reiterated the need with the apostles–Priests are to be male.

Just because women and men were created differently doesn’t mean one is better than the other. Being equal doesn’t mean being the same.

Jennifer

FYI: Eastern Rite Catholics USE Leaven bread and have a VALID Eucharist.
The book: Catholicism for Dummies page 105:

In the Latin (Western) Church (Roman Catholics): unleavened bread is used, which is made from wheat flour and water–no other ingredients–much like the unleavened bread used by Christ at the Last Supper

In the Byzantine (Eastern) Church (Eastern Catholics): leavened bread is used to symbolized the Resurrection, but no other ingredients are added.