Women Priests?

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Scripture actually does say so emphatically on several occasions.

1 Timothy 2:12: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp [assume] authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

Note that “usurp” did not then mean “take by force”, but merely “to assume”, with an implication of illegitimacy. Some use the KJV rendering of “usurp” to mean that men can lawfully cede their authority to women if done in accordance with the will of men, and thereby nullify the Scripture by the traditions of man (Mark 7:13).

1 Corinthians 14:34-35: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

I could multiply at least a few more examples (such as 1 Corinthians 11 passim), but two should be enough to establish the teaching.
I’m sorry I’ve never understood these verses from Paul. Am I to assume that women aren’t allowed to ask theological questions either? When taken literally it sounds like Paul doesn’t want women to speak period. And what is his reasoning that a woman cannot teach a man? I have much to learn even from them. Many school teachers are female so I really don’t understand these verses.
 
I’m sorry I’ve never understood these verses from Paul. Am I to assume that women aren’t allowed to ask theological questions either? When taken literally it sounds like Paul doesn’t want women to speak period. And what is his reasoning that a woman cannot teach a man? I have much to learn even from them. Many school teachers are female so I really don’t understand these verses.
That’s why we need to Catholic Church to help us understand these verses. See what the church says and that will help you understand.
 
That’s why we need to Catholic Church to help us understand these verses. See what the church says and that will help you understand.
That’s why I am asking Catholics about what the Faith teaches here
 
That’s why I am asking Catholics about what the Faith teaches here
I understand that, and I commend you for being here and asking questions.

The Church teaches that St. Paul’s teachings be understood as instructing us that women cannot preach in the liturgy, but that they may be teachers, and may ask (and answer) theological questions.
 
There are many Protestant sects with female pastors, why not female priests?
Because in Protestant sects the pastorship is a job.

In Catholicism, the priesthood is an ontological entity. At one’s essence, one becomes a priest. It is not simply something they do, like preach the gospel, counsel the afflicted, manage a parish. It is who they are.
 
First of all I would like to thank everyone for replying. I wasn’t sure exactly how well this thread would go over.
A communion with priestesses could not be given orders, because not even the Pope in Rome could ordain a priestess in reality (so that the woman could then confect the Eucharist), but only simulate an ordination (and prove himself a heretic in the doing, if I may say so).
So let’s say that I am baptized by a female priestess into the Episcopalian Church. In the Catholic view would I be baptized, or would I not be because their ordination is invalid?🤷
 
First of all I would like to thank everyone for replying. I wasn’t sure exactly how well this thread would go over.

So let’s say that I am baptized by a female priestess into the Episcopalian Church. In the Catholic view would I be baptized, or would I not be because their ordination is invalid?🤷
Baptism doesn’t require a validly ordained person to validly administer it. Just a valid subject, form, matter, and intent.

GKC
 
Good question. As more churches ordain and empower women, the Vatican knows that Catholics wonder why we do not do so. It puts additional pressure on the vatican to follow suit. It is easier to condemn these churches than to do the right thing.
“Condemning” their ordination of women and “doing the right thing” are one and the same in this instance.

The right thing is to teach the truth and the truth is that it is not possible to ordain women any more than it is possible to ordain my dog.
 
First of all I would like to thank everyone for replying. I wasn’t sure exactly how well this thread would go over.

So let’s say that I am baptized by a female priestess into the Episcopalian Church. In the Catholic view would I be baptized, or would I not be because their ordination is invalid?🤷
You could be baptized by a priestess, as baptism is one of two sacraments that can be performed by anyone, layman or woman, ordained or not. (The other is marriage, which, to be licit, requires priest and witnesses, but the sacramental character itself is conferred from husband to wife and vice versa.) The other five sacraments require an actual priest (i.e. validly-ordained male), such as the Eucharist or Confession, or a bishop (a male with the fullness of holy orders), such as Holy Orders or (usually) chrismation. On the E Orthodox view, being baptized by a priestess would be 100% invalid, as would being married by a priestess, as Orthodox view those two sacraments as work of the ordained priesthood.
 
Why, if Catholics/Eastern Orthodox view Lutheran, Anglican, etc. ordinations as invalid, do they care if these groups appoint women as priests and bishops? It seems to me strange that Catholics take issue at the ordination of women to already invalid orders.
Honorius, We know for a fact that their was no woman Apostle among the twelve. My question to you is why would any man made protestant church want to go against Jesus Christ in this matter? Could it be if one breaks one rule in starting a man made church it becomes easier and easier to make other mistakes, such as women priest / bishops, etc… etc… etc… going further and further away straying from the truth
Ufam Tobie
 
One of the things the Catholic Church REALLY doesn’t want is for Protestants to take any steps further and further away from the One True Church.
If the Lutherans (HYPOTHETICALLY) want to feminize God in a more Goddess-like fashion, the Catholic Church is going to care, be concerned.]
I’m not convinced that even in a Catholic context ordaining women has this implication. (For one thing, it’s perfectly orthodox to say that God is beyond male and female, and Catholics have so far failed to provide even moderately coherent rationale for why Jesus must be imitated by priests in this particular way and not in others.) But leaving that aside, it certainly doesn’t have that implication in a Lutheran context. In Lutheran theology, all believers are priests and ordained clergy are simply believers commissioned by the community to minister in Word and Sacrament. That being the case, it seems to me that Catholics ought positively to encourage Lutherans and other Protestants to ordain women, and certainly should have no objection to them doing so. Given priesthood-of-all-believers theology, openness to the ordination of women is theologically mandatory unless one genuinely believes that women are inferior.

I’m willing to submit my judgment to that of the Church when it comes to Catholic priesthood, although I’m not willing to pretend that the arguments I’ve seen so far supporting the Church’s position have been even moderately convincing. But it makes no sense to apply the same principle to Protestants.

Granted, some Lutherans on this forum do seem to have a Catholic theology of ordination, and perhaps on those grounds it’s different. But most Lutherans don’t–Luther himself certainly didn’t.

Edwin
 
Scripture actually does say so emphatically on several occasions.

1 Timothy 2:12: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp [assume] authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

Note that “usurp” did not then mean “take by force”, but merely “to assume”, with an implication of illegitimacy. Some use the KJV rendering of “usurp” to mean that men can lawfully cede their authority to women if done in accordance with the will of men, and thereby nullify the Scripture by the traditions of man (Mark 7:13).

1 Corinthians 14:34-35: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

I could multiply at least a few more examples (such as 1 Corinthians 11 passim), but two should be enough to establish the teaching.
Pope Benedict interpreted these passages differently, arguing that the command for women to keep silence is “to be considered relative.” As Pope Benedict pointed out, Paul’s language in Corinthians about women prophesying implies that women did speak openly in the Church in an authoritative manner, with Paul’s approval.

I recognize (as did Benedict) that the exegetical issues in reconciling these different passages are difficult, and I also recognize that Benedict was not speaking infallibly and that you have traditional opinion on your side. But it would seem that on this point you are not expressing Catholic doctrine but one, particularly conservative school of thought, not shared by the venerable Pope Emeritus, for one.
 
Pope Benedict interpreted these passages differently, arguing that the command for women to keep silence is “to be considered relative.” As Pope Benedict pointed out, Paul’s language in Corinthians about women prophesying implies that women did speak openly in the Church in an authoritative manner, with Paul’s approval.

I recognize (as did Benedict) that the exegetical issues in reconciling these different passages are difficult, and I also recognize that Benedict was not speaking infallibly and that you have traditional opinion on your side. But it would seem that on this point you are not expressing Catholic doctrine but one, particularly conservative school of thought, not shared by the venerable Pope Emeritus, for one.
It was a scribal error. What St. Paul really meant to say was that they should keep silent at home.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 😃
 
Incidentally, because of the names. That’s all.

There’s no “going against,” for two reasons:
  1. The fact that the Twelve were all men is nowhere in the New Testament given any importance or made a matter of precept. Going simply from the example Jesus set, you could argue just as well that ordaining English-speaking people is going against Jesus, since none of the Twelve were native English-speakers. You need something else to explain why this particular incidental fact is important.
  2. Protestants do not understand clergy to be in a unique, ontological way successors of the Apostles. They exert a power that resides, in principle, in all believers.
I confess that this is my single greatest remaining difficulty with Catholicism. It makes no sense to me to say that anyone who is ontologically capable of baptism is ontologically capable of ordination. But I know that I am fallible, and perhaps there is something here that escapes me. It’s quite likely, in fact. But I’m still going to call Catholics out on lapses of logic.

Edwin

Could it be if one breaks one rule in starting a man made church it becomes easier and easier to make other mistakes, such as women priest / bishops, etc… etc… etc… going further and further away straying from the truth
Ufam Tobie
I would disagree with your first argument since there were no English speakers there to select. There were, however, women there and it is pretty clear biblically that the male has the leadership role in all aspects of life because God is a He in Judeo/Christian religion and He created man to be servant leaders. I think the problem with today’s society is that if you are not the “leader” or don’t have the “prestige of office”, you are no one. (Jesus dealt with a group that felt that way. I think they were called the Pharisees.) And we are so bent on equality and women being just like men that we forget that God made us distinctly for different roles. It reminds me of the apostles wondering who was the “greatest.” Christianity is not about vain ambition and seeking the “leadership” position because it’s not about ME. But we today have not gotten any farther than Adam & Eve. Tell me what it is that I can’t have and I will desire that more than anything.
 
This may be slightly unrelated but I find it hard to understand the vehement opposition to women priests from some catholics [Roman, Lutheran, Anglicans] who adamantly view Mary as second only to Christ. If we truly believe that the blessed Virgin Mary bore our Savior and is the Theotokos, then as Mother of God, St Mary is unlike any other and has a relationship to Jesus that is inseparable.

One Lutheran poster even admitted that his female pastor was a wonderful joy for him yet he left the ELCA because of women’s ordination. 🤷
 
This may be slightly unrelated but I find it hard to understand the vehement opposition to women priests from some catholics [Roman, Lutheran, Anglicans] who adamantly view Mary as second only to Christ. If we truly believe that the blessed Virgin Mary bore our Savior and is the Theotokos, then as Mother of God, St Mary is unlike any other and has a relationship to Jesus that is inseparable.
It’s simply because Mary can never be a father. In whatever role she has, as theotokos, Mother of All, Queen of the Saints, Ark of the Covenant…

it is always as mother.

And never as father.
 
This may be slightly unrelated but I find it hard to understand the vehement opposition to women priests from some catholics [Roman, Lutheran, Anglicans] who adamantly view Mary as second only to Christ. If we truly believe that the blessed Virgin Mary bore our Savior and is the Theotokos, then as Mother of God, St Mary is unlike any other and has a relationship to Jesus that is inseparable.

One Lutheran poster even admitted that his female pastor was a wonderful joy for him yet he left the ELCA because of women’s ordination. 🤷
The Blessed Ever-Virgin is all of those things. She still isn’t a priest.

The Church is the Bride of Christ. The Office of the Holy Ministry represents Christ to the Church. The Bridegroom cannot be a Bride. Neither can His presbyters, bishops and deacons. It isn’t any more complex than that, really.
 
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