Three Women Ordained as Catholic Priests
Last week, an activist group ordained three women as Catholic priests in a ceremony held in a church in Boston. The group hopes to persuade the Catholic Church to end its ban on women priests and has been ordaining women for years. But the Church, in its inimitable misogynist way, has not only refused to recognize the ordination, but has threatened to excommunicate the women. Gloria Carpeneto, of Baltimore, Md., Gabriella Velardi Ward of New York City and Judy Lee of Fort Myers, Fla., are part of a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which rejects the canons that allow only men to become priests. I am so proud it happened here in my city. I ask you, how could it possibly be a bad thing for women to become priests? For one thing, isn’t the Catholic Church having trouble recruiting men to the priesthood? Theologian Mary Daly, who grew up Catholic, once wrote something like this: If God is a male, then males will be God.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Rhea:
I am no longer a Catholic because of a misogynistic occurrence. During Maundy Thursday services – wherein some parishioners have their feet washed by clergy, replicating Jesus’ washing of his disciples feet, showing that humility and servitude are worthy – the Cardinal in Boston, Sean O’Malley, refused to wash a woman parishioner’s feet, saying that Jesus only washed men’s feet and so would he. Very humble. Very Servile. NOT!
However, having said the above, let me also say that I totally agree with the church excommunicating these women.
The thing is, you don’t join in a game of football and then get pissed off when you start playing rugby rules and the football players want to kick you out. You know going in that football is being played. If you want to play by rugby rules, you go find a rugby game.
Similarly, the women know what the rules of the Catholic Church are. Try to change them from within, through the proper channels and at appropriate times? OK, you can do that. But, just say, “Screw you! I can do whatever I want and I expect no repercussions!” No. It won’t happen, nor should any other response be expected.
The other reasonable alternative is to start your own church. Then you can do whatever you want. I expect that will be the upshot of this, anyway.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This is incredible, I wish more women were ordained in whatever religion they happen to follow. I am currently struggling with 1 Timothy 2:12 which states that women must not teach or have authority over men – I cannot believe that this is what God wants, never mind that this in in the Bible – we must move on from what was written two thousand years ago whilst still accepting the precepts of Christianity.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 am
Suldog: I admire and appreciate the stand you took regarding the Church. But the Catholic Church is enormous, old and influential worldwide. I don’t think it makes sense to urge women to start their own church. An institution like the Church needs to be challenged. To be fair, all of the religions I am familiar with could use a serious overhaul in terms of regard for women.
Sam, thanks for writing in.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Oh, goodness, Rhea, I wasn’t suggesting that women start a women’s church. No, just suggesting that, as with Protestantism, there may be enough people dissatisfied with the Catholic Church to begin another.
In actuality, the Episcopal Church (Anglican) is very, very similar to Catholicism in most tenets. They do ordain women, and do not believe the Pope to be their leader. Otherwise, very similar. I’m sure that most folks who have a problem with Catholicism would be able to find a home there, and one that they’d like very much. I’ve known Catholic priests who have joined that church and become ministers there.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Someone on here said it right… these women do not want to be Catholics, they want to change, I’d say destroy, the Church. Someone else said it too, they could easily become “priests” in the Anglican community. So why don’t they? If they say it’s because they’re Catholic, then why don’t they obey the clear teachings of the Church? A central part of Catholic belief is the infallible teaching of the Church in matters of morality. Pope John Paul II declared infallibly that women cannot be priests. If they don’t believe that, then they’re not Catholics, they’re some sort of Protestant.
The key matter here is that men and women are different and have different roles in life and in the Church. When we go against what God says, we end up in sin and in unhappiness. Where is this desire for women to be priests coming from? From the modern world, of course. Take a look at this modern world… it’s all atheism, materialism, war, drugs, promiscuity, homosexuality, abortion, greed, violence and most of all rebellion against God and His Church. This only breeds misery. Look at how many kids are raised by single women? Can anyone say that this is a good thing? Does any kid want to grow up like that? St. Paul says it clearly, wives are to obedient to their husbands as the Church is obedient to Christ. And husbands are to lay their lives down for the wives, as Christ laid his life down for His Church. What we have today are disobedient women and cowardly men, and look at the state of our families.
The funny thing is that it’s only in the Catholic Church that we see real women as leaders, and indeed, one woman, the Virgin Mary, as the mediatrx of all graces, though that’s a dogma that has not been declared infallibly. Clearly, the Bible has Mary ask Jesus to perform the miracle at Cana against his own wishes. Jesus only takes orders from Mary, not from any man. No Protestant group has such a high role for a woman. Who’s the most famous Catholic of the last century? Mother Theresa of course. Who’s the most famous and powerful saint of the last century? St. Teresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower. What other Christian group has such women in it? Such women of holiness and power? And there’s St. Maria Goretti, St. Theresa of Avila, St. Rose of Lima, Blessed Kateri Tekathwitha, St. Lucy, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Clare, etc.
The real issue here is power and whether power is strictly a natural force or whether it’s a supernatural force. These so-called “womenpriests” believe that power is found on earth and they crave it. Someone like St. Teresa of Lisieux lived a short life, cloistered, and had not a single earthy accomplishment to her name. She just lived a holy life filled with love. She had no earthly power. She did not found and order, create any social change, or perform any great work. Yet she prayed her whole life. And she prays for us now that she’s in heaven. She shows us God’s power in her many healings and miracles. That’s real power. That’s a real Catholic woman.