Women Priests?

[The_Catholic]

Forgive me for this question, as I’m sure it’s been around 1000 times. But only today have I gotten interested in discovering the Truth.

FIRST: Is it an official doctrine of the Church that women cannot, not now, not ever, become preists, or is it a tradition that could perhaps change, such as married preists?

SECOND: If so, would that effect the role of family, having it so the wife could be the head? Or does this not have anything to do with whether or not preists can be women?

I ask because a new Church my wife and I recently started, one that is very awesome, some of them, like the pianoist and I believe even the preist, are open to that possibility in the future. I want to make sure we’re not getting involved with heresy.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I just want to make it known that I do not have any problem with the idea of female preists, a lot of the times I like talking to women about certain things and wouldn’t cast an issue confessing to a preistest or having her rule over me. But if God says “No,” then I am going to listen to Him rather than any man or woman, no matter what!!

 

[Pax]

Forgive me for this question, as I’m sure it’s been around 1000 times. But only today have I gotten interested in discovering the Truth.

FIRST: Is it an official doctrine of the Church that women cannot, not now, not ever, become preists, or is it a tradition that could perhaps change, such as married preists?

SECOND: If so, would that effect the role of family, having it so the wife could be the head? Or does this not have anything to do with whether or not preists can be women?

I ask because a new Church my wife and I recently started, one that is very awesome, some of them, like the pianoist and I believe even the preist, are open to that possibility in the future. I want to make sure we’re not getting involved with heresy.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I just want to make it known that I do not have any problem with the idea of female preists, a lot of the times I like talking to women about certain things and wouldn’t cast an issue confessing to a preistest or having her rule over me. But if God says “No,” then I am going to listen to Him rather than any man or woman, no matter what!!

The Church has never allowed women to become priests and the Church will not do so. JP II stated it quite clearly when he spoke to the fact that the Church does not have the power or authority to make such a change. A priest operates in “persona Christi” and Jesus was a man and only elected men to be apostles as our model for the priesthood. This also follows the pattern of the OT Jewish priesthood.

This issue is not a matter of “discipline” as is the case with married priests. The desire for women priests is an outgrowth of the women’s movement. It sort of make sense from a humanistic and secular perspective, but it makes no sense from a religious one.

I hope this helps.

 

[ricko]

The Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith released
a statement November 18 saying the Church’s traditional ban on women
priest “requires definitive assent…(and) has been set forth **infallibly **by
the ordinary and universal Magisterium.”

The teaching that the Church possesses no authority to ordain women,
declared the letter, “is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as
belonging to the deposit of faith.”

Your priest should know this. I hope he is not a “loose cannon” .

 

[The_Catholic]

The Church has never allowed women to become priests and the Church will not do so. JP II stated it quite clearly when he spoke to the fact that the Church does not have the power or authority to make such a change. A priest operates in “persona Christi” and Jesus was a man and only elected men to be apostles as our model for the priesthood. This also follows the pattern of the OT Jewish priesthood.

This issue is not a matter of “discipline” as is the case with married priests. The desire for women priests is an outgrowth of the women’s movement. It sort of make sense from a humanistic and secular perspective, but it makes no sense from a religious one.

I hope this helps.

It does, but what do we do about the new Church we’re attending? Abandon it? What can I say if I bring up an argument against them on that issue? I’m guessing they’ll just respond saying there’s no official teaching proclaimed infalliable by the Pope. So if there is a council I don’t know about clearly stating women cannot be preists, do you know of it?

 

[The_Catholic]

The Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith released
a statement November 18 saying the Church’s traditional ban on women
priest “requires definitive assent…(and) has been set forth **infallibly **by
the ordinary and universal Magisterium.”

The teaching that the Church possesses no authority to ordain women,
declared the letter, “is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as
belonging to the deposit of faith.”

Your priest should know this. I hope he is not a “loose cannon” .

Wow, I just read this, interesting. He’s not really my preist, we just recently starting attending. Oh boy, now what do I do? I feel confused. Should we leave?

 

[Tomster]

Forgive me for this question, as I’m sure it’s been around 1000 times. But only today have I gotten interested in discovering the Truth.

FIRST: Is it an official doctrine of the Church that women cannot, not now, not ever, become preists, or is it a tradition that could perhaps change, such as married preists?

SECOND: If so, would that effect the role of family, having it so the wife could be the head? Or does this not have anything to do with whether or not preists can be women?

I ask because a new Church my wife and I recently started, one that is very awesome, some of them, like the pianoist and I believe even the preist, are open to that possibility in the future. I want to make sure we’re not getting involved with heresy.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I just want to make it known that I do not have any problem with the idea of female preists, a lot of the times I like talking to women about certain things and wouldn’t cast an issue confessing to a preistest or having her rule over me. But if God says “No,” then I am going to listen to Him rather than any man or woman, no matter what!!

Two conditions are required for valid ordination, the male sex and baptism. That women cannot be validly ordained is clear from St. Paul’ Epistles, 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35, and 1 Timothy 2: 11-12, from Apostolic Tradition and from the constant practice of the Church. St. Ephiphanius remarks that if it were lawful for women to be priests, Mary, the Mother of God would certainly have been the first.

 

[Snerticus]

It sounds like a dissenting parish to me. Maybe not openly, but open to dissenting ideas.

Stay away from it, as it could be an “occasion to sin” and look for another parish.

As an aside, I suggest you get yourselves a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There’s no better way to distinguish if what the priest says is correct or not than to use a definitive source of Church teaching (meaning the Bible and the Catechism, as two good examples). There is also a reference book to the Catechism that has all the referenced documents that the Catechism lists as sources that may be of help too - although I can’t remember the name right now.

Arm yourself, especially if you decide to stay in that particular parish.

God Bless,
Snert

 

[Leopard]

It does, but what do we do about the new Church we’re attending? Abandon it?..

shrug That’s up to you.

As long as they’re not attempting any invalid ordinations, all they’re doing is talking nonsense.

 

[Tomster]

Wow, I just read this, interesting. He’s not really my preist, we just recently starting attending. Oh boy, now what do I do? I feel confused. Should we leave?

Snerticus gave you some good advice. Before leaving that parish, though, I would discuss the subject in private with the person in question and show him what the Church really teaches. If the person persists, find another parish, QUICKLY!

 

[Tomster]

Snerticus gave you some good advice. Before leaving that parish, though, I would discuss the subject in private with the person in question and show him what the Church really teaches. If the person persists, find another parish, QUICKLY!

 

[The_Catholic]

It sounds like a dissenting parish to me. Maybe not openly, but open to dissenting ideas.

Stay away from it, as it could be an “occasion to sin” and look for another parish.

As an aside, I suggest you get yourselves a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There’s no better way to distinguish if what the priest says is correct or not than to use a definitive source of Church teaching (meaning the Bible and the Catechism, as two good examples). There is also a reference book to the Catechism that has all the referenced documents that the Catechism lists as sources that may be of help too - although I can’t remember the name right now.

Arm yourself, especially if you decide to stay in that particular parish.

God Bless,
Snert

It’s so weird man, because the one talking to me today had such incredible knowledge of Church history and the Church, I was so surprised when he said it should be open for women to become preists.

 

[Awake]

The Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith released
a statement November 18 saying the Church’s traditional ban on women
priest “requires definitive assent…(and) has been set forth **infallibly **by
the ordinary and universal Magisterium.”

The teaching that the Church possesses no authority to ordain women,
declared the letter, “is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as
belonging to the deposit of faith.”

How do we know this statement is infallible?

 

[The_Catholic]

catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0201sbs.asp

I just read this too, that sums it up. Man, finaly, just when we find a parish that isn’t “cold” there has to be a problem.

 

[The_Catholic]

How do we know this statement is infallible?

I would assume because of this from This Rock:

In 1994, Pope John Paul II declared, “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 which 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).

**One year after this was written, the Church 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. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium 25:2)” (Response of Oct. 25, 1995). **

Right?

 

[Snerticus]

It’s so weird man, because the one talking to me today had such incredible knowledge of Church history and the Church, I was so surprised when he said it should be open for women to become preists.

Did they truly know the history or did they appear to know the history? It sounds to me that if they truly knew the history, they’d also know that it was impossible for the Church to ordain women. Some men (and women) have the “gift of gab” and appear very eloquent and knowledgable, when they may have knowledge, but lack the wisdom to guide them.

Again, the Catechism may not be the perfect Catholic resource, but it’s a great start. The following is a quote from 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.

 

[The_Catholic]

Did they truly know the history or did they appear to know the history? It sounds to me that if they truly knew the history, they’d also know that it was impossible for the Church to ordain women. Some men (and women) have the “gift of gab” and appear very eloquent and knowledgable, when they may have knowledge, but lack the wisdom to guide them.

Again, the Catechism may not be the perfect Catholic resource, but it’s a great start. The following is a quote from it:

Knowing the Catechism states this, and I’m sure the pianoist and preist know this, makes me severely question if this Church is in heresy, or at least in their thoughts because right here in the CCC it cannot be clearer. I think I’m going to exchange emails with this man, and I can pretty much feel that we may have to leave. It’s too bad, it’s a wonderful, warm-feeling Mass, this is the only problem.

 

[Snerticus]

Knowing the Catechism states this, and I’m sure the pianoist and preist know this, makes me severely question if this Church is in heresy, or at least in their thoughts because right here in the CCC it cannot be clearer. I think I’m going to exchange emails with this man, and I can pretty much feel that we may have to leave. It’s too bad, it’s a wonderful, warm-feeling Mass, this is the only problem.

Don’t despair, the priest may not actually know this. If I were you and wanted to stay at the parish, just let the priest know that the parish atmosphere is very comfortable, but you question some of his remarks. A link for the CCC is HERE if you can’t find or don’t have a Catechism at home.

Just tell him your concerns and that otherwise, you’d love to join his parish. He may look into it further and realize what he’s done. Above all, pray that he see his error and that God give you the words to speak His truth. Prayer never hurts.

God Bless,
Snert

 

[Jimdandy]

Why not stay for awhile and suggest that your Parish sponsor some Adult Faith Formation Classes and request that one be on the Theology of the Body.( perhaps they have an incomplete understanding about how man was created in the image and likeness of the Trinity-or maybe the Theology of Christ and His Bride (His Church) has not resonated with them yet-
Pray to Our Holy Mother and ask that she pray esp. for your priest.
And ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you in truth, and give you strength to stay right where God has sent you.
JMHO

 

[ricko]

It’s so weird man, because the one talking to me today had such incredible knowledge of Church history and the Church, I was so surprised when he said it should be open for women to become preists.

I would print out the letter and show it to him in private and see how he reacts. If he was truly ignorant of it (which I find hard to believe) and accepts it, then everything may be ok. If he starts making excuses like,“that’s not binding” or “I don’t believe it” or “it will change some day” then these are little bells and whistles. Tell him that you are leaving because he is violating his vows among other things. Does he deviate from Church teaching in other things? One last thing, your decision, I would notify the bishop of this. Some would just walk away or put up with it. That is turning a blind eye to a problem. We have a duty as Catholics to report such abuses or they will just keep getting worst.

 

[The_Catholic]

Don’t despair, the priest may not actually know this. If I were you and wanted to stay at the parish, just let the priest know that the parish atmosphere is very comfortable, but you question some of his remarks. A link for the CCC is HERE if you can’t find or don’t have a Catechism at home.

Just tell him your concerns and that otherwise, you’d love to join his parish. He may look into it further and realize what he’s done. Above all, pray that he see his error and that God give you the words to speak His truth. Prayer never hurts.

God Bless,
Snert

Thanks, I am going to email him in a little while and share the things and quotes you guys told me. I have a feeling he will respond back in debate, because he kind of had that “aura” about him as he talked, “sharing” his knowledge left and right with so many names and era’s of time, lol. I mean no disrespect to him though.

I will let you guys know what happens.