The Roman Catholic church has just announced revisions to its rules and procedures around sexual abuse. While this is encouraging the changes cannot undo the terrible history of denial and cover-ups which may have undermined the credibility of this expression of Christ's church forever.
At the same time the revisions codify as a “grave crime” against Church law “the attempted ordination of a woman” to conform with a decree issued in 2007 to deal with a growing movement in favour of a female priesthood. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that it cannot ordain women as priests because Christ chose only men as his disciples.
This is infuriating on so many levels. There is so much biblical evidence that Jesus included women in the wider circle of his followers and friends which is conveniently ignored by the R.C. church. There is also testimony to the roles women played in the early centuries of the church, before misogyny became the norm. And where in the gospels does it say that the original twelve disciples --eleven if we discount Judas-- were ever priests in a formal designation?
Of course this is a response to the growing "seditious" activity of those who are speaking out for women priests, and some who are going through unsanctioned ordination services, as pictured above. But what a "grave crime" to address vile abuse and the role of women in the church in the same theological breath.
Any comments on this?
