Women's Ordination

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the issue of women being excluded from the Catholic priesthood throughout the Catholic Church's history. It examines the historical, cultural, and current Catholic positions, as listed by the Vatican, on ordination of women as priests and concludes that admitting females to priesthood in Catholicism is a necessary step for Roman Catholicism to take.

From the Paper:

"The debate about whether women have been priests or ministers in the Roman Catholic Church has been contested for generations. In early Biblical texts, there are mentions of women serving as ministers and disciples. One of the clearest examples of women in the role of active ministry is in Romans. The author of Romans, presumed to be Paul, writes, "I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is (also) a minister of the church at Cenchreae, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a benefactor to many and to me as well" (Romans 16: 1-2). In this case, it is widely accepted that the word minister refers to a deacon because in the original Greek texts, the word diakonos (deacon) appears (New American Bible footnote). However, Paul continues on by saying, "Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles; greet also the church at their house" (Romans 16: 3-4). It is accepted that this is the same couple that appears in several other Biblical verses: Acts 18:2; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19. Paul does not say my co-worker in Christ; rather, he states that both Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila ran the church in their home together. It cannot be implied the nature of Priscilla's role; hence, it is open to interpretation that Prisca and Aquila were equal ministers in their home church. Two additional references to women in the early church are made in Paul's greetings in the following verses: "Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners; they are prominent among the apostles and they were in Christ before me" (Romans 16: 6-7). The Mary in this passage cannot be specifically identified, but clearly, this Mary has done a considerable amount of work for the early Christian church. According to Meehan, Doko, and Rue, the reference to Andronicus and Junia is the only reference in the Bible to apostles outside of the twelve apostles and Paul (2006, 2). It is unclear what role Andronicus and Junia played in the early church aside from this reference, but to be called apostles shows that there was a special calling by Jesus that set the fifteen people (the Twelve Apostles, Paul, Junia and Andronicus) mentioned apart and are fully capable of setting up the early church."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bellan-Boyer, L. (2003). Conspicuous of their absence: Women in early Christianity. Cross Currents, 53, 48-63.
• Berlis, A. (1999). The ordination of women: A test case for conciliarity. Unanswered Questions, 77-84, Retrieved February 10, 2007 from http://www.womenpriests.org/related/berlis1.asp.
• Boorstein, M. (July 30, 2006). Reclaiming the feminine spirit in the Catholic priesthood. The Washington Post, C03, Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/29/AR2006072900849.html.
• Chapman, G. (ed.) (1994). The Roman Catechism on women's ordination. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 353-354.
• Coriden, J.A., Green, T.J, & Heintschel, D.E. (eds.) (1985). The code of church law, 1983. The Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary, London: Paulist Press. Retrieved on February 8, 2007 from http://www.womenpriests.org/traditio/cod_1983.asp.

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