I listened to an interview yesterday on the CBC Radio program The Current, about the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic church. Officially there is no such thing in Catholicism and won't be soon. It hasn't stopped groups of woman gathering to discuss ordination. to lobby for ordination, and in some instances to conduct what are rogue ordinations, if I can use that term. These ordinations are a rather defiant and perhaps prophetic statement to the hierarchy of the church that change must come. In a denomination whose priesthood is aging and shrinking the inclusion of women would appear to make practical sense but the theological resistance is entrenched.
Both of the women were articulate and civil. One argued in favour, the other against. The one in opposition offered the old and perplexing argument that Jesus was male, and so were the twelve disciples, therefore demonstrating that God's will for eternity is that only men can be ordained. Of course, Jesus had women followers, although travelling with women would have been scandalous. Jesus' humanity rather than his gender is what is important to the incarnation, at least from my reading of the gospels. And no one in the New Testament is ordained anyway, that being a later development of the church.
These rebuttals come from a male in a denomination which has been ordaining women for just over 75 years, so I do have a bias. Now, women have not always been readily accepted in United Church ministry and it wasn't until the 1970's that the number of seminarians who were women really grew. Today the majority of students at our seminaries are women and most congregations are very accepting of women in ministry. Needless to say, they serve Christ's church well. I notice that more denominations of conservative theology are ordaining women, or its equivalent.
What are your thoughts, faithful readers? Do you think theological arguments can be made against women in ministry? Why is there such strong resistance? Will the Roman Catholic church ever change?
Take a look at my latest Groundling blog entry Frogs in Prison http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/
3 comments:
Refusal to change ... dustbin of history, etc. ...
I don't think there will be change, at least not in my lifetime and not for a long time. I was raised roman catholic in a small community and went to the catholic school and church. Even at a young age it was apparent there was a very definite pecking order for respect and it was the priests fist and the nuns next. The church has such a strong male dominated backround/history and it is instilled in the parishoners from generation to generation. Women were encouraged to stay with their husbands whether they were abusers/alcoholics or good dads, there was not a lot of choice and sadly families encouraged the church's position. Certainly is time for a change.
...that should read priests first...not priests fist...
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