I am an active Catholic.
However, there is one sustaining concept in the Roman Catholic Church that sparks my curiosity: Women can’t be priests according to Vatican authority. I’ve discovered there is no sound explanation as to why this cannot be outside of tradition, and it was never mentioned in the New Testament.
According to the Fides Agency, there was an increase in the number of Catholics worldwide in 2023. Yet, a steady decline was recorded in the number of priests, especially in Europe and America. Given the deficit between priests and newly converted Catholics, more than ever, we should consider why women are prohibited from the priesthood.
One consensus is that Jesus Christ never ordained any women but selected apostles, who were all men.
Pope John Paul II’s Ordinatio Sacerdotalis said, “Priestly ordination … in the Catholic Church from the beginning has always been reserved to men alone.”
Roy Bourgeois, an American activist who was ordained a priest in 1972, defied tradition by publishing a manuscript called “Why Women Should Be Priests.”
Bourgeois addressed this quote by Paul II. “While Jesus did choose twelve men to be his apostles, the four gospels do not say anything about Jesus ordaining anyone,” Bourgeois wrote. “It also is not obvious that the twelve were the only apostles.”
In Romans 16:7, the apostle Paul does address a woman as an apostle, contradicting the argument against women’s ordination.
Christ never cared for societal norms, especially toward women. Women such as Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary, the bleeding woman and many others throughout the gospel show that Christ treated his children equally.
The silence and sparse amount of evidence to prevent women from being ordained seems unusual. However, John 16:12 shows Christ also reveals that in his lifespan not everything will be explained. Nevertheless, there is compelling evidence throughout history of Catholic priests and deacons who were women.
The New Catholic Reporter addressed multiple artifacts dating back to 430 A.D. depicting women as deacons and possibly even priests.
One artifact included a man and a woman both raising a chalice and standing on either side of an altar, while the other two depict a man and a woman holding their arms up in the “orans pose,” a prayer pose often used by priests.
None of this is meant to minimize the importance of other roles women execute in the Catholic Church. Their roles are and will always be necessary to the future growth of the Church.
I’m also not calling Catholics to follow along with other religions nor to rebel against our own. I’m merely considering practicality, or whether it has been definitively determined that Christ absolutely didn’t want women to be ordained.
A woman holding Jesus’ blood and body could be such a beautiful and understandable representation of Mary giving life to Christ, or in general to the process of life. I assume that this could help women feel more connected to the parish and to their faith.
Through baptism we are made equal, as suggested by Galatians 3:26-28.
In 2012, after advocating for years for women’s ordination, Bourgeois was expelled from the priesthood for refusing to renounce his support.
Bourgeois wrote, “We often fail to be reasonable and dignity-minded; instead, we rationalize unjust customs that serve our self-interests, including traditions denying gender equality.”
I simply don’t understand why the Roman Catholic Church feels so inclined to make sure a priest has a gender if God doesn’t have one.
This is not aimed to be disrespectful in any form. Yet, it’s something I personally ask God more about. Currently, women should assist in fulfilling religious roles due to the lone, lacking male population of priests in this era. It is similar to how women adopted men’s duties when they were unable throughout history, such as during World War II.
A simple consideration for women to fulfill these roles would be reassuring for the sake of the many parishes across the planet in need of a priest. I do admit, I still have more to learn every day about my faith. Still, if Christ doesn’t mention it, then I’m not opposed.
God never changes, but calls humanity to.
The Pest is an anonymous column for writers to air their grievances about Ohio University, Athens and society at large. Want to share your thoughts? Email the Editor in Chief at editor@thepostathens.com
