ordain women? just wondering.....

[radfringe]

listening to a news report on the shortage of priests in the Catholic church

they reported that men entering the priesthood have declined over the past 30 years, and the current priests are getting older... more than 3,000 churches have no "resident" priests...

would they consider ordaining women? I know the Catholic church has fought against this in the past. But the "men only" mentality excludes more than half of potential candidates for the priesthood

what do you think? should they ordain women? will they even seriously consider it? would it help attendance?

just wondering what you think?

[ladjf]

1. No. The woman get the effusive praise of Mary Mother.

That's it. The catholic woman's place is definitely not the pulpit.

[VelmaD]

2. This along with not allowing priests to marry...

will be the eventual end of the church.

Any organism that stops growing and changing...starts dying.

[MominTN]

4. Women

are more trustworthy with children and I think it is a very good idea. However I'm not Catholic.

[radfringe]

8. considering it took them a few hundred years

to "officially" conceed that the earth revolves around the sun... I don't really expect any serious discussions with the Catholic hierarchy on ordaining women

I remember the "flap" over having mass in "native languages" -- my grandfather was very upset over that -- it meant he had to pay attention and participate instead of saying his beads..

my religious up bringing was a mish-mash between the lutheran church and catholic church. My father was raised lutheran (but now claims he's atheist), my mom was catholic (now lapsed) -- so church going was split between the two. At home we were taught it was all the same god, so it didn't matter which church we attended.

Currently, I am NOT affiliated with any church/religion.

Meanwhile -- if they ordain women -- next thing ya know they'll be ordaining pedophiles... (or box turtles)
sorry couldn't resist the jab...

[TexasProgresive]

3. I'm in favor of allowing everyone to receive Holy Orders-

I don't see it coming in my lifetime but could be. I don't think that it would do much to alleviate the shortage of priests. It's not just a gender thing - many don't want to live a life of service, regardless of their gender. "SHOW ME THE MONEY!"

[mmonk]

5. I think the pope

would have said there are many orders in which women serve and minister (doesn't mean I agree with him, it means I understand his position and do not believe there is malice). As far as married priests go, the eastern catholics do not have to be celibate.

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. They probably won't consider it.

Not in our lifetimes, anyway. The Pope issued an "apostolic letter" in...1994, I think...stating that the office of the priesthood was reserved for men only, that has been stated to be "infallible"...in other words, ain't gonna happen.

Which seems to me to be a bad move, for several reasons...it was this statement that basically put an end to the talk of reconciliation between the churches of the Anglican communion and Rome, and it's a serious impediment to true ecumenicalism (so much for Vatican II)...

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. At the least

they should allow priests to marry. Let's get real. Even the apostles had wives. Especially in light of the pedophilia problem in the church, which is what happens when you don't allow people to express their sexuality appropriately.

However, I have no problem with women becoming priests. I think some of them would make wonderful priests. There were woman leaders in the early church. Jesus treated women has equals. It was folks like Paul of Tarsus who introduced the perverted stuff.

[ananda]

9. this church? or..

.. alternative universe church?

This church is so sexist and anti-woman, I wouldn't expect anything from anyone in the Vatican that is even remotely pro woman.. or pro gay.. or pro child.

I mean.. how do you think that corporo-fascism retains its hold over people.. institutions are in place to instill its mind control techniques and make sure children grow up brainwashed, unable to think critically, and susceptible to the enchanting effects of symbols of authority.. like those of the Pope and Bushco, for example.

Sue

[hedgehog]

10. The Catholic Church has not fought against this.

Certain members of the hierarchy and some lay people have. It's easy to make the mistake, a lot of bishops think of themselves as the Church and forget about the rest of us. A lot (most?) of American Catholics are in favor of a priesthood open to women and married people. I really don't know what Catholics around the rest of the world think. There are Eastern rite Churches in union with Rome that have marries male priests. Maybe it's time for an American Rite within the Roman Catholic Church.

There are rumors that women and married men were ordained in Czechoslovakia during Communist rule in an effort to ensure that at least an underground church would survive in the event that the Church was suppressed. If true, I think it's disgusting that Communism is an emergency justifying this while empty churches are not.

[tjwmason]

11. It's considered a matter of doctrine

and the Pope's encyclical on the issue 'Ordinatio Sacerdotalis' has been considered infallible by several theologians.

Celibacy, on the other hand, is only a matter of discipline and could be changed. It is more likely that married men will be able to be ordained than that priests will be able to marry - this is the case in the Eastern Catholic jurisdictions.

It should be noted that the ordination of women by the ECUSA, Church of England and other Anglican churches has not produced a great swell of new ordinands. The C.ofE.'s vocations crisis is as dire as the R.C.'s.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. as an ordained minister

myself, I can say that many many faiths have women leaders. But it is not my place to change Catholic belief and structure. It is something they must do for themselves. I think strong women in leadership positions can only help a faith (case in point: Sufi shaykas in traditional Islamic orders who lead prayers where women and men stand shoulder to shoulder, side by side)