Women as clergymen?

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Hi everyone.
I’m doing a research for a school project about Catholism. I’m Agnostic myself, so I’ve no clue whatsoever about certain religious and traditional things.

My question to you is: Are women allowed to be clergymen? Why/why not? I won’t accept “because it’s tradition” as an answer!
 
mongotova said:
Hi everyone.
I’m doing a research for a school project about Catholism. I’m Agnostic myself, so I’ve no clue whatsoever about certain religious and traditional things.

My question to you is: Are women allowed to be clergymen? Why/why not? I won’t accept “because it’s tradition” as an answer!
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Women may not be Priests. See here for why. Also as a side note, perhaps you’re asking the wrong Church if you want answers that are not based in Tradition. The Catholic Church upholds many teachings and dogmas based in Sacred Tradition. You may want to speak with Protestants if you want answers based outside of Tradition (of course that in itself is unbiblical). 😦 God bless.
 
mongotova said:
Hi everyone.
I’m doing a research for a school project about Catholism. I’m Agnostic myself, so I’ve no clue whatsoever about certain religious and traditional things.

My question to you is: Are women allowed to be clergymen? Why/why not? I won’t accept “because it’s tradition” as an answer!
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Because of Tradition:D
 
God specifically chose a man’s body for Jesus. He also specifically chose men for Apostles. God equipped men for the priesthood. He did not equip women for the priesthood.

Also, it simply goes against thousands of years of Christian tradition to ordain women, and would contradict the Church Fathers.
 
Since it’s for a school report, you should cite the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

The following section should be particularly helpful:
VI. Who Can Receive This Sacrament?

1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."66 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.67 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.68
Those three footnotes (66, 67, 68) cite other sources so that should be good right there.

Oh, and don’t forget that this website (www.catholic.com) has plenty of materials too. Look at this for example: catholic.com/library/Women_and_the_Priesthood.asp

God bless! 👍
 
Women are unable to be priests because the priest is “Alter Christus” when he offers Mass to God.

In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the priest is in the place of Jesus Christ who is a male person. If you ever attend Holy Mass you will hear the priest say words over the bread and wine changing them into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Notice when he says these words he says, “This is MY body” and not “This is Jesus body.”. Since the body of Jesus is that of a male person it is impossible for a woman to consecrate and offer this offering in sacrifice for sin.

Ken
 
Maybe a good way for someone who is not Catholic to understand it to explain the Catholic concept of God.

God is unaffected by our culture or styles but our faith is practiced based upon what God has revealed to us.

So in the beginning when God started a priesthood they were male and had specific requirements, when God revealed His plan for us as Jesus, it was also in this fashion.

We continue to follow this plan and have not changed even though culture and fashions have changed.

Our tradition is a reflection of the truth that has been handed down, this is why we do certain actions though those actions may change slightly, as long as they reflect the same truth then we are faithful.

God Bless
Scylla
 
mongotova said:
Hi everyone.
I’m doing a research for a school project about Catholism. I’m Agnostic myself, so I’ve no clue whatsoever about certain religious and traditional things.

My question to you is: Are women allowed to be clergymen? Why/why not? I won’t accept “because it’s tradition” as an answer!
Click to expand...
If you are looking into the Church, you must recogonized that the Church feels it can only do what God has given it the Authority to do.

No Pope, for example, would feel that writing an Encylical stating that the Moon is to be transformed into Green Cheese would have any actual result on the Moon.

Does this mean that God is powerless to change the Moon into green cheese, of course, not. It only means that God did not give the authority to change the moon’s matter into cheese.

Likewise, God did not give the Authority to Ordain women to the Church.

Here is where the Church specifically tells us that it does not have the authority to Ordain women
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 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.
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Pope John Paul - ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS

vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html

Anyone who believes that He did would have to assume the burden of proof themselves.

So, if that is the premeise of your paper, then you would have to prove that God did, in fact, give the Church the authority to ordain women. And starting from an Agnoistic viewpoint would only make the premise more difficult to prove.
 
The priesthood is a spiritual fatherhood. Women can’t be fathers.
 
No women cant be clergymen. Because They must go through Holy ORders. And if Jesus wanted it to be that way he would have done it.
 
Why did you pick Catholicism as your topic? More importantly, why do you doubt there is a God? Do you think the apostles and others who lived around Jesus after His death, died for a hoax?
 
The explanations that have already been given are excellent. There is one more point that can be taken into consideration. As already mentioned, the priest acts “in the person of Christ” when he offers the Holy Sacrifice during the Mass. Christ, as the groom, with the Church as His bride, is male. It would not be appropriate for a woman to stand in as the “groom” during the Holy Sacrifice on earth which is a reflection of the eternal Sacrifice in heaven where Christ stands before God the Father as our eternal High Priest interceding for His bride the Church.
 
The priest at my parish gave a little talk on vocations a couple of weeks ago. He gave a good side reason that women are not called to the priesthood.

He said that it is a woman’s nature to be selfless, to give herself to others, or at least to put others before herself. This, of course, is manifested in motherhood and in the sacrament of marriage. Men, on the other hand, have a harder time with that type of nurturing. My priest made note of the sacrifice that men must go through to change that within themselves when becoming a priest. They are to put God and their flock entirely before themselves. They must also give up the idea that they are their own primary source of survival – the generosity of the parish they serve is their income, their source for food, etc. He said that if women were to be priests, serving an entire parish of people would be second-nature to them. Men, on the other hand, make a sacrifice to their very nature.

This isn’t, by any means, what the Church teaches. I think it was just his own observation. I know there are tons of debates on the nature of men and women so this will probably spark a debate that was not intended by this post. I just thought it was an interesting aside that he made.

I hope your research project goes well and you learn lots about our beautiful Church!!
 
I think it’s great we are doing this persons homework for her, but isn’t anyone else interested in this persons salvation who started this thread. That’ one of the things wrong with the Church today, we can’t see the forest through the trees. All the theologians here, but forgetting what is truly important.
 
latinmass said:
I think it’s great we are doing this persons homework for her, but isn’t anyone else interested in this persons salvation who started this thread. That’ one of the things wrong with the Church today, we can’t see the forest through the trees. All the theologians here, but forgetting what is truly important.
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That’s quite true. And besides there are other positions for women in the Church, i.e. nuns.
 
latinmass said:
I think it’s great we are doing this persons homework for her, but isn’t anyone else interested in this persons salvation who started this thread. That’ one of the things wrong with the Church today, we can’t see the forest through the trees. All the theologians here, but forgetting what is truly important.
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Wow, thank you I needed that, good point.

I have forgotten that we always need to be seeking the salvation of souls. Thanks for the comment sometimes we can’t see the forest through the trees.

God Bless
Scylla
 
First of all, thank you all of you for your wonderful help!
latinmass said:
Why did you pick Catholicism as your topic? More importantly, why do you doubt there is a God? Do you think the apostles and others who lived around Jesus after His death, died for a hoax?
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Firstly, I picked Catholicism because of various reasons. I’m from Sweden, a Protestantic nation, so when we were given the task to do a research about a part of the Christian Church I chose Catholicism because I don’t know much about it except for the Pope.

Secondly, I don’t “doubt” there is a God. I don’t believe there is any. I don’t believe that Jesus existed either, but was more of a legend, or a tale. Therefore, nothing that has to do with him is a hoax, but more like a part of the very same tale that was created so that people could have faith.

But to make myself clear, I don’t want to disapprove any religion. I’m of that opinion that everyone has a right to believe in what they want, and so am I. You believe in God, I don’t. World peace.
 
latinmass said:
I think it’s great we are doing this persons homework for her, but isn’t anyone else interested in this persons salvation who started this thread. That’ one of the things wrong with the Church today, we can’t see the forest through the trees. All the theologians here, but forgetting what is truly important.
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Its not the Church its us. The People in the church. Sometimes we need to remember we are trying to help people not be right all the time.
 
mongotova said:
First of all, thank you all of you for your wonderful help!

Firstly, I picked Catholicism because of various reasons. I’m from Sweden, a Protestantic nation, so when we were given the task to do a research about a part of the Christian Church I chose Catholicism because I don’t know much about it except for the Pope.

Secondly, I don’t “doubt” there is a God. I don’t believe there is any. I don’t believe that Jesus existed either, but was more of a legend, or a tale. Therefore, nothing that has to do with him is a hoax, but more like a part of the very same tale that was created so that people could have faith.

But to make myself clear, I don’t want to disapprove any religion. I’m of that opinion that everyone has a right to believe in what they want, and so am I. You believe in God, I don’t. World peace.
Click to expand...
I don’t think it was by chance you have chosen Catholicism. Do you believe the History courses you have taken? Jesus is in the History books, not a fairy tale. You may not believe that He died and rose again, but you must know that he did walk the earth. If you believe History is true, then there are other historical documents from those who walked around the earth with Jesus, and those who were taught by those who walked with Jesus. Real historical documents from the first and second century. Just as real as the documents we get our knowledge from the Greeks or Romans. Do you believe there was a Roman Empire? Reading the historical documents of the first couple of centuries from the Church Fathers is worth looking into for your research paper to find out about why we don’t have women clerymen, and why Jesus started the Church.
 
Okay, let me re-formulate my answer:
I don’t believe Jesus, as a holy being, existed. Jesus as a person and a philosopher could have existed in the past. I don’t mistrust history, however I believe that some cannot be entirely correct since much is guessed and not actually proven.

Jesus as a version of Socrates makes more sense to me than Jesus as some divine being’s son. The whole story of being born by a virgin, walking on the earth making bread and wine out of almost nothing and then dying and then being reborn sounds, to me, as a tale. (mind you, not “fairy tale”, but a tale) A tale that people told each other, and who some believed in some didn’t.

And no, as I said, I didn’t chose Catholism “by chance”.
 
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