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Proper Role
& Behavior of Women
Also See:
Catholic Women (Topic Page)
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"To
the woman [God] said: 'I will intensify the pangs of your
childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children [and thou
shalt be under thy husband's power, and he shall have dominion
over thee.' (DR trans.)]" (Gen. 3:16)
"But
I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and a
husband the head of his wife, and God the head of Christ. Any man
who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame upon
his head. But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head
unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same
thing as if she had had her head shaved. For if a woman does not
have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But
if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head
shaved, then she should wear a veil. A man, on the other hand,
should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of
God, but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from
woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for woman, but
woman for man; for this reason a woman should have a sign of
authority on her head, because of the angels. Woman is not
independent of man or man of woman in the Lord. For just as woman
came from man, so man is born of woman; but all things are from
God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God
with her head unveiled? Does not nature itself teach you that if a
man wears his hair long it is a disgrace to him, whereas if a
woman has long hair it is her glory, because long hair has been
given (her) for a covering? But if anyone is inclined to be
argumentative, we do not have such a custom, nor do the churches
of God." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:3-16) [Note: The exemption
above is for those women who wish to be argumentative.]
"Indeed,
the spirits of prophets are under the prophets' control, since he
is not the God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of
the holy ones, women should keep silent in the churches, for they
are not allowed to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the
law says. But if they want to learn anything, they should ask
their husbands at home. For it is improper for a woman to speak in
the church. Did the word of God go forth from you? Or has it come to you alone? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or a spiritual person, he should recognize that what I am writing to you is a commandment of the Lord."
(St. Paul, 1 Cor. 14:32-37)
"Wives should
be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband
is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he
himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to
Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in
everything." (St. Paul, Eph. 5:22-24)
"Wives, be
subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord." (St.
Paul, Col. 3:18)
"It is my
wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up
holy hands, without anger or argument. Similarly, (too,) women
should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and
self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or
pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who
profess reverence for God, with good deeds. A woman must receive
instruction silently and under complete control. I do not permit a
woman to teach or to have authority over a man. She must be quiet.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve. Further, Adam was not
deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. But she
will be saved through motherhood, provided women persevere in
faith and love and holiness, with self-control." (St. Paul, 1
Tm. 2:8-15)
"Women,
similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and
faithful in everything." (St. Paul, 1 Tm. 3:11)
"As
for yourself, you must say what is consistent with sound doctrine,
namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified,
self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance. Similarly,
older women should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers,
not addicted to drink, teaching what is good, so that they may
train younger women to love their husbands and children, to be
self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers, under the control of
their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited."
(St. Paul, Ti. 2:1-5)
"Likewise,
you wives should be subordinate to your husbands so that, even if
some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by
their wives' conduct when they observe your reverent and chaste
behavior. Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding
the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes, but
rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the
imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is
precious in the sight of God. For this is also how the holy women
who hoped in God once used to adorn themselves and were
subordinate to their husbands; thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling
him 'lord.' You are her children when you do what is good and fear
no intimidation. Likewise, you husbands should live with your
wives in understanding, showing honor to the weaker female sex,
since we are joint heirs of the gift of life, so that your prayers
may not be hindered." (St. Peter, 1 Pt. 3:1-7)
"Can.
1024 Only a baptized man can validly receive sacred
ordination." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
Canon 44: "That women are not to come near the
altar." (Council of Laodicea, 4th century A.D.)
"No
one shall, except in the cases by law expressed, compel a woman to
enter a monastery; or prevent her, if she desire to enter."
(Council of Trent)
"Council
of Carthage (iv): 'However learned and holy a woman may be, she
must not presume to teach men in the church'" (As cited by St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"The
effect of the sacrament of Order is not regeneration but the
bestowal of power, for which reason it is not conferred on
women" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"[A]
woman is by nature fitted for home-work, and it is that which is
best adapted at once to preserve her modesty and to promote the
good bringing up of children and the well-being of the
family." (Pope Leo XIII, "Rerum Novarum")
"[I]n
the fact of conferring priestly ordination only on men, it is a
question of unbroken tradition throughout the history of the
Church, universal in the East and in the West, and alert to
repress abuses immediately. This norm, based on Christ's example,
has been and is still observed because it is considered to conform
to God's plan for his Church." (Pope Paul VI)
"On
the same principle it follows that singers in church have a real
liturgical office, and that therefore women, being incapable of
exercising such office, cannot be admitted to form part of the
choir. Whenever, then, it is desired to employ the acute voices of
sopranos and contraltos, these parts must be taken by boys,
according to the most ancient usage of the Church." (Pope St.
Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1914)
"Similarly
with regard to deaconesses and all in general whose names have
been included in the roll, the same form shall be observed. We
refer to deaconesses who have been granted this status, for they
do not receive any imposition of hands, so that they are in all
respects to be numbered among the laity." (First Council of
Nicaea) [Note: Such 'deaconnesses' may assist delicate matters
(e.g. to protect women's modesty), but they do not receive
Holy Orders.]
"Women are not, however, permitted to act as altar
servers." (Inaestimabile Donum, Approved and Confirmed by His
Holiness Pope John Paul II) [Note: Calculated disobedience to
the pope resulted in the eventual, reluctant toleration of "female
altar boys". Since this practice was always rejected by the Church
and was only permitted as a result of disobedience, faithful &
obedient Catholics continue to reject this practice which is so
harmful to vocations and promotes a feminist agenda.]
"['But
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.' (Lk.
2:19)] For keeping the laws of virgin modesty, she who had known
the secrets of Christ would divulge them to no one, but comparing
what she had read in prophecy with what she now acknowledged to
have taken place, she did not utter them with the mouth, but
preserved them shut up in her heart." (St. Bede the
Venerable, Doctor of the Church)
"Learn
also, O virgins, the lowliness of Mary. She came a kinswoman to
her next of kin, the younger to the elder, nor did she merely come
to her, but was the first to give her salutations; as it follows,
And she saluted, Elisabeth. For the more chaste a virgin is, the
more humble she should be, and ready to give way to her elders.
Let her then be the mistress of humility, in whom is the
profession of chastity. Mary is also a cause of piety, in that the
higher went to the lower, that the lower might be assisted, Mary
to Elisabeth, Christ to John." (St. Theophylact)
"Pope Gelasius in his ninth letter (chap. 26) to
the bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been
introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass.
Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly
forbade it in his letter to the bishop of Tusculum: 'Women should
not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused
this ministry.' We too have forbidden this practice in the same
words in Our oft-repeated constitution Etsi Pastoralis, sect. 6,
no. 21." (Pope Benedict XIV, 1755 A.D.)
"The
husband is the chief of the family and the head of the wife. The
woman, because she is flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone,
must be subject to her husband and obey him; not, indeed, as a
servant, but as a companion, so that her obedience shall be
wanting in neither honor nor dignity. Since the husband represents
Christ, and since the wife represents the Church, let there always
be, both in him who commands and in her who obeys, a heaven-born
love guiding both in their respective duties. For 'the husband is
the head of the wife; as Christ is the head of the
Church...Therefore, as the Church is subject to Christ, so also
let wives be to their husbands in all things.'" (Pope Leo
XIII, "Arcanum", 1880 A.D.)
"Today
in some quarters the fact that women cannot be ordained priests is
being interpreted as a form of discrimination. But is this really
the case? Certainly, the question could be put in these terms if
the hierarchical priesthood granted a social position of privilege
characterized by the exercise of 'power'. But this is not the
case: the ministerial priesthood, in Christ's plan, is an
expression not of domination but of service! Anyone who
interpreted it as 'domination' would certainly be far from the
intention of Christ, who in the Upper Room began the Last Supper
by washing the feet of the Apostles. In this way he strongly
emphasized the 'ministerial' character of the priesthood which he
instituted that very evening. 'For the Son of Man came not to be
served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many'
(Mk 10:45)." (Pope John Paul II)
"Question:
'Whether the teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever
to confer priestly ordination on women, which is presented in the
Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to be held definitively,
is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith.'
Response: 'In the affirmative. This teaching requires definitive
assent, since, founded on the written Word of God, and from the
beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the
Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and
universal Magisterium... Thus, in
the present circumstances, the Roman Pontiff, exercising his
proper office of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32), has
handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration, explicitly
stating what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as
belonging to the deposit of the faith.'" (Responsum ad Dubium
On Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, Issued by the Sacred Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith With the Approval of Pope John Paul II,
October 28, 1995)
"It
has been claimed in particular that the attitude of Jesus and the
Apostles is explained by the influence of their milieu and their
times. It is said that, if Jesus did not entrust to women and not
even to his Mother a ministry assimilating them to the Twelve,
this was because historical circumstances did not permit him to do
so. No one however has ever proved - and it is clearly impossible
to prove - that this attitude is inspired only by social and
cultural reasons. As we have seen, and examination of the Gospels
shows on the contrary that Jesus broke with the prejudices of his
time, by widely contravening the discriminations practiced with
regard to women. One therefore cannot maintain that, by not
calling women to enter the group of the Apostles, Jesus was simply
letting himself be guided by reasons of expediency. For all the
more reason, social and cultural conditioning did not hold back
the Apostles working in the Greek milieu, where the same forms of
discrimination did not exist." (Pope Paul VI)
"Certain
things are required in the recipient of a sacrament as being
requisite for the validity of the sacrament, and if such things be
lacking, one can receive neither the sacrament nor the reality of
the sacrament. Other things, however, are required, not for the
validity of the sacrament, but for its lawfulness, as being
congruous to the sacrament; and without these one receives the
sacrament, but not the reality of the sacrament. Accordingly we
must say that the male sex is required for receiving Orders not
only in the second, but also in the first way. Wherefore even
though a woman were made the object of all that is done in
conferring Orders, she would not receive Orders, for since a
sacrament is a sign, not only the thing, but the signification of
the thing, is required in all sacramental actions... Accordingly,
since it is not possible in the female sex to signify eminence of
degree, for a woman is in the state of subjection [cf. Gen. 3:16, Col.
3:18, etc.], it follows that
she cannot receive the sacrament of Order." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
"There
is no doubt that the Blessed Virgin received in a high degree both
the gift of wisdom and the grace of miracles and even of prophecy,
just as Christ had them. But she did not so receive them, as to
put them and such like graces to every use, as did Christ: but
accordingly as it befitted her condition of life. For she had the
use of wisdom in contemplation, according to Luke 2:19: 'But Mary
kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.' But she had
not the use of wisdom as to teaching: since this befitted not the
female sex, according to 1 Timothy 2:12: 'But I suffer not a woman
to teach.' The use of miracles did not become her while she lived:
because at that time the Teaching of Christ was to be confirmed by
miracles, and therefore it was befitting that Christ alone, and
His disciples who were the bearers of His doctrine, should work
miracles. Hence of John the Baptist it is written (John 10:41)
that he 'did no sign'; that is, in order that all might fix their
attention on Christ. As to the use of prophecy, it is clear that
she had it, from the canticle spoken by her: 'My soul doth magnify
the Lord' (Luke 1:46, etc.)." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"'The
Priesthood is a special ministry entrusted to Church custody and
control; its authentication by the Church is indispensable as it
is an integral part of the vocation: 'Christ chose those he
wanted...' For this reason, one cannot see how admission of women
to the priesthood should be proposed on the basis of equal rights
of the human person.' Canon 1024 of the Canon Law of 1983 clearly
mandates, 'Only a baptized male validly receives sacred
ordination.'...[In 1994,] His Holiness John Paul II spoke firmly
and definitively on this matter: 'In order that all doubt may be
removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which
pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of
my ministry of confirm the brethren (cf. Lk. 22:32), I declare
that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly
ordination on women and that this judgement is to be definitively
held by all the Church's faithful.' Such clear teaching distinctly
thwarts any feminist claims for full equality between men and
women regarding the priesthood and the 'munus' of bishop."
(Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI)
"Speech
may be employed in two ways: in one way privately, to one or a
few, in familiar conversation, and in this respect the grace of
the word may be becoming to women; in another way, publicly,
addressing oneself to the whole church, and this is not permitted
to women. First and chiefly, on account of the condition attaching
to the female sex, whereby woman should be subject to man, as
appears from Genesis 3:16. Now teaching and persuading publicly in
the church belong not to subjects but to the prelates (although
men who are subjects may do these things if they be so
commissioned, because their subjection is not a result of their
natural sex, as it is with women, but of some thing supervening by
accident). Secondly, lest men's minds be enticed to lust, for it
is written (Ecclesiasticus 9:8): 'Her conversation burneth as
fire.' Thirdly, because as a rule women are not perfected in
wisdom*, so as to be fit to be intrusted with public teaching...
The recipients of a divinely conferred grace administer it in
different ways according to their various conditions. Hence women,
if they have the grace of wisdom or of knowledge, can administer
it by teaching privately but not publicly." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church") [*
Note: The fact that women may not be "perfected in
wisdom" may not necessarily result from a natural inability, but rather a
wise woman may choose to curtail unnecessary studies in preference
to her chief dignity and primary role of wife and mother.]
"Recently
the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reiterated
the constant teaching of the Catholic Church that it does not have
the authority to ordain women to the priesthood. In so doing the
Church did not make a new statement. Rather, the Church was
expressing anew her belief that in this matter, as in all others,
she cannot go beyond the teaching and example of Christ. From the
time of the apostles to our present day, the Catholic Church has
taught without exception that in reserving the priesthood to men
she is following the example and intent of Jesus. He chose by name
the men he would call to follow him as apostles and priests, even
as he granted to women other roles of incomparable value and
significance in the history of salvation. This teaching was
reaffirmed in 1994 by Pope John Paul II in an apostolic letter, 'Ordinatio
Sacerdotalis.' This November the Doctrinal Congregation emphasized
that the teaching is part of the 'deposit of the faith' and must
be held by Catholics sincerely and firmly. Our Holy Father, Pope
John Paul II, approved the Sacred Congregation's affirmation...
The Church, faithful to Scripture and the constant oral, lived
Tradition handed on by the apostles, guards the deposit of the
faith and seeks always to be the servant of what has been given
her. The Church has no authority to do otherwise. The reassertion
of teaching on women and the priesthood presents again the
Church's intention to pass on the deposit of the faith, as
received from Christ and the apostles, to new generations in its
fullness." (Archbishop Donoghue, 1995)
"The
Catholic Church has never felt that priestly or episcopal
ordination can be validly conferred on women. A few heretical
sects in the first centuries, especially Gnostic ones, entrusted
the exercise of the priestly ministry to women: This innovation
was immediately noted and condemned by the Fathers, who considered
it as unacceptable in the Church... in the writings of the
Fathers...one finds expressed - especially in the canonical
documents of the Antiochan and Egyptian traditions - this
essential reason, namely, that by calling only men to the priestly
Order and ministry in its true sense, the Church intends to remain
faithful to the type of ordained ministry willed by the Lord Jesus
Christ and carefully maintained by the Apostles... The same
conviction animates medieval theology... The Church's tradition in
the matter has thus been so firm in the course of the centuries
that the Magisterium has not felt the need to intervene in order
to formulate a principle which was not attacked, or to defend a
law which was not challenged. But each time that this tradition
had the occasion to manifest itself, it witnessed to the Church's
desire to conform to the model left her by the Lord. The same
tradition has been faithfully safeguarded by the Churches of the
East. Their unanimity on this point is all the more remarkable
since in many other questions their discipline admits of a great
diversity. At present time these same Churches refuse to associate
themselves with requests directed towards securing the accession
of women to priestly ordination." (Pope Paul VI)
"The
Church's constant teaching, repeated and clarified by the Second
Vatican Council and again recalled by the 1971 Synod of Bishops
and by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in
its Declaration of 24th. June 1973, declares that the bishop or
the priest in the exercise of his ministry, does not act in his
own name, in persona propria: he represents Christ, who acts
through him: 'the priest truly acts in the place of Christ', as
St. Cyprian already wrote in the third century. It is this ability
to represent Christ that St. Paul considered as characteristic of
his apostolic function (2 Cor. 5:20; Gal. 4:14). The supreme
expression of this representation is found in the altogether
special form it assumes in the celebration of the Eucharist, which
is the source and centre of the Church's unity...the priest, who alone has the power to perform it, then
acts not only through the effective power conferred on him by
Christ, but in persona Christi, taking the role of Christ, to the
point of being his very image, when he pronounces the words of
consecration. The Christian priesthood is therefore of a
sacramental nature: the priest is a sign, the supernatural
effectiveness of which comes from the ordination received, but a
sign that must be perceptible and which the faithful must be able
to recognize with ease. The whole sacramental economy is in fact
based upon natural signs, on symbols imprinted on the human
psychology: 'Sacramental signs,' says St. Thomas,' represent what
they signify by natural resemblance.' The same natural resemblance
is required for persons as for things: when Christ's role in the
Eucharist is to be expressed sacramentally, there would not be
this 'natural resemblance' which must exist between Christ and his
minister if the role of Christ were not taken by a man: in such a
case it would be difficult to see in the minister the image of
Christ. For Christ himself was and remains a man." (Pope Paul
VI)
"According
to the Apostle (1 Timothy 2:11; Titus 2:5), woman is in a state of
subjection (Gen. 3:16): wherefore she can have no spiritual jurisdiction,
since the Philosopher also says (Ethica Nicomachea viii) that it
is a corruption of public life when the government comes into the
hands of a woman. Consequently a woman has neither the key of
order nor the key of jurisdiction. Nevertheless a certain use of
the keys is allowed to women, such as the right to correct other
women who are under them, on account of the danger that might
threaten if men were to dwell under the same roof." (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church") [Note: Although modern
women may not like to hear such things, Scripture is clear that -
by divine mandate - the female sex is in a state of subjection
(Gen. 3:16, 1 Cor. 14,Eph. 5, Col, 3:18, 1 Pt. 3) and it has often
been considered a perversion of the right order of things when a
woman is given public authority. Those who wish to argue against
the subjection of women find themselves arguing against the
divinely inspired word of God. Further, a proper ordering brings
much benefit to women, men, and society at large. As quoted in
Pope Pius XI's "Casti Connubii": "The man is the
ruler of the family, and the head of the woman; but because she is
flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, let her be subject and
obedient to the man, not as a servant but as a companion, so that
nothing be lacking of honor or of dignity in the obedience which
she pays. Let divine charity be the constant guide of their mutual
relations, both in him who rules and in her who obeys, since each
bears the image, the one of Christ, the other of the Church."]
"For
this reason one cannot see how it is possible to propose the
admission of women to the priesthood in virtue of the equality of
rights of the human person, an equality which holds good also for
Christians. To this end, use is sometimes made of the text quoted
above, from the Letter to the Galatians (3:28), which says that in
Christ there is no longer any distinction between men and women.
But this passage does not concern ministries: it only affirms the
universal calling to divine filiation, which is the same for all.
Moreover, and above all, to consider the ministerial priesthood as
a human right would be to misjudge its nature completely: baptism
does not confer any personal title to public ministry within the
Church. The priesthood is not conferred for the honor or advantage
of the recipient, but for the service of God and the Church; it is
the object of a specific and totally gratuitous vocation: 'You did
not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you...'
(Jn.15:16; Heb.5:4). It is sometimes said and written in books and
periodicals that some women feel that they have a vocation to the
priesthood. Such an attraction however [some may consider*] noble and understandable,
still does not suffice for a genuine vocation. In fact a vocation
cannot be reduced to a mere personal attraction, which can remain
purely subjective. Since the priesthood is a particular ministry
of which the Church has received the charge and the control,
authentication by the Church is indispensable here and is a
constitutive part of the vocation: Christ chose 'those he wanted'
(Mk.3:13). On the other hand, there is a universal vocation of all
the baptized to the exercise of the royal priesthood by offering
their lives to God and by giving witness for his praise... But it
must not be forgotten that the priesthood does not form part of
the rights of the individual, but stems from the economy of the
mystery of Christ and the Church. The priestly office cannot
become the goal of social advancement: no merely human progress of
society or of the individual can of itself give access to it: it
is of another order." (Pope Paul VI) [*Note: Pope Paul
VI's generous statement regarding this attraction being "noble and understandable,"
may not have widespread support in the history of the Church and
with orthodox Catholics of today especially given our current
militantly feminist climate.]
"Jesus
Christ did not call any women to become part of the Twelve. If he
acted in this way, it was not in order to conform to the customs
of his time, for his attitude towards women was quite different
from that of his milieu, and he deliberately and courageously
broke with it. For example, to the great astonishment of his own
disciples Jesus converses publicly with the Samaritan woman (Jn.
4:27); he takes no notice of the state of legal impurity of the
woman who had suffered from hemorrhages (Mt. 9:20); he allows a
sinful woman to approach him in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Lk.
7:37); and by pardoning the woman taken in adultery, he means to
show that one must not be more severe towards the fault of a woman
than towards that of a man (Jn. 8:11). He does not hesitate to
depart from the Mosaic Law in order to affirm the equality of the
rights and duties of men and women with regard to the marriage
bond (Mk. 10:2, Mt. 19:3). In his itinerant ministry Jesus was
accompanied not only by the Twelve but also by a group of women (Lk.
8:2). Contrary to the Jewish mentality, which did not accord great
value to the testimony of women, as Jewish law attests, it was
nevertheless women who were the first to have the privilege of
seeing the risen Lord, and it was they who were charged by Jesus
to take the first paschal message to the Apostles themselves (Mt.
28:7, Lk, 24:9, Jn. 20:11), in order to prepare the latter to
become the official witnesses to the Resurrection. It is true that
these facts do not make the matter immediately obvious. This is no
surprise, for the questions that the Word of God brings before us
go beyond the obvious. In order to reach the ultimate meaning of
the mission of Jesus and the ultimate meaning of Scripture, a
purely historical exegesis of the texts cannot suffice. But it
must be recognized that we have here a number of convergent
indications that make all the more remarkable that Jesus did not
entrust the apostolic charge to women. Even his Mother, who was so
closely associated with the mystery of her Son, and whose
incomparable role is emphasized by the Gospels of Luke and John,
was not invested with the apostolic ministry. This fact was to
lead the Fathers to present her as an example of Christ's will in
this domain; as Pope Innocent III repeated later, at the beginning
of the thirteenth century, 'Although the Blessed Virgin Mary
surpassed in dignity and in excellence all the Apostles,
nevertheless it was not to her but to them that the Lord entrusted
the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.'" (Pope Paul VI)
"The same
false teachers who try to dim the luster of conjugal faith and
purity do not scruple to do away with the honorable and trusting
obedience which the woman owes to the man. Many of them even go
further and assert that such a subjection of one party to the
other is unworthy of human dignity, that the rights of husband and
wife are equal; wherefore, they boldly proclaim the emancipation
of women has been or ought to be effected. This emancipation in
their ideas must be threefold, in the ruling of the domestic
society, in the administration of family affairs and in the
rearing of the children. It must be social, economic,
physiological: - physiological, that is to say, the woman is to be
freed at her own good pleasure from the burdensome duties properly
belonging to a wife as companion and mother (We have already said
that this is not an emancipation but a crime); social, inasmuch as
the wife being freed from the cares of children and family,
should, to the neglect of these, be able to follow her own bent
and devote herself to business and even public affairs; finally
economic, whereby the woman even without the knowledge and against
the wish of her husband may be at liberty to conduct and
administer her own affairs, giving her attention chiefly to these
rather than to children, husband and family. This, however, is not
the true emancipation of woman, nor that rational and exalted
liberty which belongs to the noble office of a Christian woman and
wife; it is rather the debasing of the womanly character and the
dignity of motherhood, and indeed of the whole family, as a result
of which the husband suffers the loss of his wife, the children of
their mother, and the home and the whole family of an ever
watchful guardian. More than this, this false liberty and
unnatural equality with the husband is to the detriment of the
woman herself, for if the woman descends from her truly regal
throne to which she has been raised within the walls of the home
by means of the Gospel, she will soon be reduced to the old state
of slavery (if not in appearance, certainly in reality) and become
as amongst the pagans the mere instrument of man. This equality of
rights which is so much exaggerated and distorted, must indeed be
recognized in those rights which belong to the dignity of the
human soul and which are proper to the marriage contract and
inseparably bound up with wedlock. In such things undoubtedly both
parties enjoy the same rights and are bound by the same
obligations; in other things there must be a certain inequality
and due accommodation, which is demanded by the good of the family
and the right ordering and unity and stability of home life."
(Pope Pius XI, "Casti Connubii", 1930 A.D.)
"The
apostolic community remained faithful to the attitude of Jesus
towards women. Although Mary occupied a privileged place in the
little circle of those gathered in the Upper Room after the Lord's
Ascension (Acts 1:14), it was not she who was called to enter the
College of the Twelve at the time of the election that resulted in
the choice of Mathias: those who were put forward were two
disciples whom the Gospels do not even mention. On the day of
Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled them all, men and women (Acts
2:1, 1:14), yet the proclamation of the fulfillment of the
prophecies in Jesus was made only by 'Peter and the Eleven' (Acts
2:14). When they and Paul went beyond the confines of the Jewish
world, the preaching of the Gospel and the Christian life in the
Greco-Roman civilization impelled them to break with Mosaic
practices, sometimes regretfully. They could therefore have
envisaged conferring ordination on women, if they had not been
convinced of their duty of fidelity to the Lord on this point. In
fact the Greeks did not share the ideas of the Jews: although
their philosophers taught the inferiority of women, historians
nevertheless emphasize the existence of a certain movement for the
advancement of women during the Imperial period. In fact we know
from the book of Acts and from the letter of St. Paul, that
certain women worked with the Apostle for the Gospel (Rom. 16:3-12,
Phil. 4:3). Saint Paul lists their names with gratitude in the
final salutations of the Letters. Some of them often exercised an
important influence on conversions: Priscilla, Lydia and others;
especially Priscilla, who took it on herself to complete the
instruction of Apollos (Acts 18:26); Phoebe, in the service of the
Church of Cenchreae (Rom. 16:1). All these facts manifest within the
Apostolic Church a considerable [development] vis-a-vis the customs of
Judaism. Nevertheless at no time was there a question of
conferring ordination on these women. In the Pauline letters,
exegetes of authority have noted a difference between two formulas
used by the Apostle: he writes indiscriminately 'My fellow
workers' (Rom. 16:3, Phil 4:2-3) when referring to men and women
helping him in his apostolate in one way or another; but he
reserves the title of 'God's fellow workers' (1 Cor. 3-9, 1 Thes.
3:2) to Apollos, Timothy and himself, thus designated because they
are directly set apart for the apostolic ministry and the
preaching of the Word of God. In spite of the so important role
played by women on the day of the Resurrection, their
collaboration was not extended by St. Paul to the official and
public proclamation of the message, since this proclamation
belongs exclusively to the apostolic mission." (Pope Paul VI)
"Priestly
ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his
Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has
in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to
men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by
the Oriental Churches. When the question of the ['ordination' of
Anglican
women arose], Pope Paul VI, out of
fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition,
and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way
of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the
Catholic Church: 'She holds that it is not admissible to ordain
women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These
reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of
Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant
practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only
men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held
that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance
with God's plan for his Church.' But since the question had also
become the subject of debate among theologians and in certain
Catholic circles, Paul VI directed the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith to set forth and expound the teaching of the
Church on this matter. This was done through the Declaration Inter
Insigniores, which the Supreme Pontiff approved and ordered to be
published. The Declaration recalls and explains the fundamental
reasons for this teaching, reasons expounded by Paul VI, and
concludes that the Church 'does not consider herself authorized to
admit women to priestly ordination.' To these fundamental reasons
the document adds other theological reasons which illustrate the
appropriateness of the divine provision, and it also shows clearly
that Christ's way of acting did not proceed from sociological or
cultural motives peculiar to his time. As Paul VI later explained:
'The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental
constitution, her theological anthropology - thereafter always
followed by the Church's Tradition - Christ established things in
this way.' ... In fact the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles
attest that this call was made in accordance with God's eternal
plan; Christ chose those whom he willed (cf. Mk. 3:13-14, Jn. 6:70),
and he did so in union with the Father, 'through the Holy Spirit'
(Acts 1:2), after having spent the night in prayer (cf. Lk. 6:12).
Therefore, in granting admission to the ministerial priesthood,
the Church has always acknowledged as a perennial norm her Lord's
way of acting in choosing the twelve men whom he made the
foundation of his Church (cf. Rv. 21:14). These men did not in
fact receive only a function which could thereafter be exercised
by any member of the Church; rather they were specifically and
intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself
(cf. Mt. 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk. 3:13-16; 16:14-15). The Apostles
did the same when they chose fellow workers who would succeed them
in their ministry. Also included in this choice were those who,
throughout the time of the Church, would carry on the Apostles'
mission of representing Christ the Lord and Redeemer. Furthermore,
the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of
the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles
nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the
non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that
women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as
discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the
faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the
Lord of the universe... Although the teaching that priestly
ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by
the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly
taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the
present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still
open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be
admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary
force. Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding
a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the
Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of
confirming the brethren (cf. Lk. 22:32) I declare that the Church
has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women
and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the
Church's faithful." (Pope John Paul II, 1994)
Also
See: The
Religious Life For Women | Top
Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests
| Women
/ Womanhood (Catholic Life Reflections) | Mothers
/ Motherhood (Catholic Life Reflections) | Women's
Work in the Home (Catholic Life Section) | Marriage,
Family & Home (Catholic Life Reflections)
| Feminists
(Catholic Life Reflections) | Femininity
& The Virgin Mary (Catholic Life Reflections) | Modesty/Proper
Dress (Catholic Life Reflections) | Primacy
of Husband / Obedience of Wife (Catholic Life Reflections) | Against
Military Training of Girls (Catholic Life Reflections) | Women in a State of
Subjection? (flier) | Wife
(Topical Scripture) | Woman
(Topical Scripture)
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