Rachel Evans
The Catholic Church does not ordain women as priests or bishops, and this is unlikely to change. The Church teaches that it has no authority to ordain women, and that only a man can validly receive sacred ordination. This is because Jesus chose only men as his apostles, and the Church believes that holy orders are a manifestation of Jesus' calling of the apostles. However, women can serve in other roles within the Church, such as deaconesses, nuns, or religious sisters, and can lead prayers when no priest is available. There is also ongoing discussion about the possibility of ordaining women as deacons.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic Church's stance on women's ordination | The Catholic Church teaches that it does not have the authority to ordain women as priests and that this is a matter of divine law. |
| Historical evidence | There is historical evidence of women serving in ordained roles in both the Western and Eastern Churches. |
| Current support | A minority in the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests support ordaining women as priests, while a majority favour allowing women deacons. Several Catholic bishops and clergy have also expressed support for women's ordination. |
| Alternative paths for women | Women can serve in various roles within the Church, such as running catechetical programs, providing spiritual direction, serving as lectors, and teaching theology. |
| Exceptions | Some branches of Christianity, such as the Byzantine Church, ordained women as deaconesses in the past. The Catholic Mariavite Church in Poland is currently headed by a female bishop. |
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What You'll Learn
Women as deacons
In recent times, the topic of women serving as deacons has gained renewed attention. In 2013, a minority in the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests supported ordaining women to the priesthood, while a majority favoured allowing women deacons. Several Catholic bishops, such as Felix Gmür, Gebhard Fürst, and Franz-Josef Overbeck, have also expressed support for the ordination of women as deacons. Pope Francis, while reaffirming that holy orders are reserved for men, has formed commissions to study the question further.
The arguments for ordaining women as deacons are rooted in the historical presence of deaconesses in the early Church and the belief in the equality of men and women in baptism. Additionally, supporters argue that the diaconate should be opened to women to increase their participation and decision-making roles within the Church. However, the Catholic Church's official position, as emphasized by Pope John Paul II, is that the Church has no authority to confer priestly ordination on women. This teaching is based on the belief that Jesus only chose certain men as apostles and that the sex of the priest is a central part of the ceremony.
While the discussion on women as deacons continues, it is important to note that the Catholic Church does allow women to lead prayers and perform other roles within the Church. Laypeople, including women, may be appointed to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word and distribute Holy Communion when no priest, deacon, or instituted lector is available. Women also serve as lectors, ministers of Holy Communion, and theology teachers, among other roles.
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Women cannot represent God
The Catholic Church does not ordain women as priests, deacons, or bishops. The church teaches that it does not have the authority to ordain women and that it is impossible for a woman to become a priest even if she went through the ordination ceremony. The church's reasoning is based on the belief that Jesus only chose certain men as apostles and that ordination is a manifestation of Jesus' calling of these male apostles. The church also believes that the priest must be able to channel Christ's masculine energies to confect the sacrament, and therefore the sex of the priest is a central part of the ceremony.
Some Catholic scholars, theologians, and clergy are actively discussing the ordination of women to the diaconate, and there is historical evidence of women serving in ordained roles in the early days of both the Western and Eastern Churches. However, the Catholic Church maintains that the teaching that priestly ordination is reserved for men alone is firmly established in the constant and universal tradition of the church. The church's position is that the ordination of women is a matter of divine law and is unchangeable.
The argument against the ordination of women is based on the belief that priesthood is about fatherhood and that the intimacy and radical commitment of priesthood are similar to those of fatherhood and motherhood, which are inherently gendered roles. The priest is seen as a double representative of God, and it is believed that a woman cannot represent God in the same way that a man can. This belief is further supported by the argument that goddess religions, such as those with Mother Earth figures, are fundamentally different from the biblical image of God as the creator of man and woman.
While the Catholic Church does not allow women to be ordained as priests, women have played significant roles in the Church throughout history. Women can lead prayers in female institutions, such as convents and girls' schools, and they can be appointed by the pastor to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word and distribute Holy Communion when no priest, deacon, or instituted lector is available. Women also serve as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and theology teachers. Additionally, women have influenced the Church through their roles as mothers, wives, and leaders, such as Saint Clotilda, who converted her husband, the king of the Franks, to Christianity, and Saint Teresa of Avila, who was called by God to reform the Carmelite Order in the 16th century.
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Women in non-ordained roles
Women cannot be ordained as priests in the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II emphasised this in the apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, stating that "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women". This teaching is also embodied in the current canon law (1024) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992). The Catholic Church's reasoning is that Jesus chose only men as his apostles, and that the priest has to be able to channel Christ's "masculine" energies.
However, women can take on many other roles within the Church. They can lead prayers, celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, and distribute Holy Communion (although it must be consecrated by a priest beforehand). Women also run catechetical programs in parishes, provide spiritual direction, serve as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and teach theology. Throughout history, it has not been uncommon for an abbess to head a dual monastery, i.e., a community of men and women.
In addition, the ordination of women to the diaconate is being actively discussed by Catholic scholars, theologians, and senior clergy. There is historical evidence of women serving in ordained roles in both the Western and Eastern Churches, although this is disputed by some writers. The First Council of Nicaea (325) stated that deaconesses were laywomen, but the later Council of Chalcedon (451) decreed that they were ordained and must practice celibacy after ordination. Women continued to be ordained as deaconesses in the Byzantine Church through the 9th century AD, and excavations at the site of a 1600-year-old Byzantine basilica revealed evidence of women serving primarily as diaconal ministers in early Christendom. In recent years, several German bishops have supported the ordination of women to the diaconate, and in 2014, the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland stated that the Catholic Church must ordain women and allow priests to marry in order to survive.
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Women in early Christianity
Women have played a variety of roles in the life of Christianity, including contemplatives, health care givers, educationalists, and missionaries. Women in the early Church were important members of the movement, and their involvement in the early growth of Christianity was significant.
The New Testament Gospels acknowledge that women were among Jesus' earliest followers. Jewish women disciples, including Mary Magdalene, Saint Joanna, and Susanna, had accompanied Jesus during his ministry and supported him financially. In the early Christian church, women were also among the last disciples at the cross and the first at Jesus' empty tomb.
Women were also involved in the study of the Bible and of Hebrew and Greek. A circle of Roman women who studied with Jerome in the late 300s demonstrated such scholarship that he referred some church elders to Marcella for the resolution of a hermeneutical problem. By the early 400s, Augustine could declare that “any old Christian woman” was better educated in spiritual matters than many a philosopher. The women’s spiritual zeal exploded into social service, with Fabiola founding the first Christian hospital in Europe. Many other church women encountered severe opposition from their families for spending their wealth so generously in helping the poor. Such selfless ministry became a trademark of Christian women.
In addition to these examples of women in the early Church, there is also evidence of women serving in ordained roles in both the Western and Eastern Churches. For instance, the First Council of Nicaea (325 CE) declared deaconesses to be laywomen, and the later Council of Chalcedon (451 CE) decreed that a woman shall not be ordained as a deaconess under forty years of age. However, monastic female deacons in the East received the stole as a symbol of their office at ordination, and historians have identified documented instances of ordained women in the early Church.
While the Catholic Church does not currently ordain women as priests, women today exercise many roles in the Church. They run catechetical programs in parishes, provide spiritual direction, serve as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and teach theology.
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Ordination as a divine law
Ordination in the Catholic Church is a sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a deacon, priest, or bishop and is enabled to minister in Christ's name and that of the Church. The Church believes that ordination is a divine law and a manifestation of Jesus' actions and words during his life.
The Catholic Church's position is that it has no authority to confer priestly ordination on women, and that this is a matter of divine law. This teaching is based on the belief that Jesus only chose certain men as apostles and that holy orders are a manifestation of Jesus' calling of the apostles. The Church also believes that the female body cannot effectively channel the masculine energies of Christ, who is the true minister of all the sacraments.
Some Catholic scholars, theologians, and senior clergy are actively discussing the ordination of women to the diaconate. There is historical evidence that women have served in ordained roles in both the Western and Eastern Churches, although this is disputed by some writers. The First Council of Nicaea (325 CE) stated that deaconesses of heretical sects were to be considered laywomen, while the later Council of Chalcedon (451 CE) decreed that a woman over forty years of age could be ordained as a deacon after close scrutiny. In 2014, the Bishop of Basel, Felix Gmür, supported an initiative appealing for equality between men and women in ordination to the priesthood.
While the Catholic Church does not ordain women as priests or bishops, women play many important roles within the Church. They can lead prayers, celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, distribute Holy Communion, run catechetical programs, provide spiritual direction, serve as lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and teach theology.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Catholic Church does not allow women to become priests. The church teaches that a woman's impediment to ordination is diriment, of divine law, public, absolute, and permanent.
No, the Catholic Church does not ordain women as bishops.
The Catholic Church does not ordain women as deacons, but this is being actively discussed by Catholic scholars, theologians, and senior clergy. Some historians have identified documented instances of women serving as deacons in the early Church.
Yes, the Catholic Church does not regard the priest as the only possible prayer leader, and a woman may lead a prayer.
