Straight Answers: Women's Ordination (Part 2)

By Fr. William P. Saunders
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 8/11/05)

While the Church bases its teaching concerning the restriction of ordination to men alone heavily on the consistent tradition handed down since the time of the apostles, the answer also rests on the understanding of a sacrament.

The Church must be faithful to the sign value or the substance of the sacrament. Pope Pius XII, echoing the teachings of the Council of Trent, stated, "The Church has no power over the substance of the sacraments, that is to say, over what Christ the Lord, as the sources of Revelation bear witness, determined should be maintained in the sacramental sign" ("Sacramentum Ordinis," No. 5). These sacramental signs are symbolic of actions and things, such as water in baptism symbolizes life and cleansing, and reminds us of the parting the waters to bring life at Genesis, the flood waters which destroyed evil in Noah's time, the parting of the Red Sea to bring the people out of slavery and the water which flowed from the heart of Christ on the cross. These signs also unite a person to the everlasting, eternal ministry of Christ Himself. For example, the Mass is not just a ritual meal or a pious remembrance of the Last Supper; the Mass participates in and makes present the everlasting, eternal sacrifice of our Lord on the cross and His resurrection.

In the same way, through Holy Orders, a priest is called to represent Christ Himself. For instance, at Mass, the priest acts in persona Christi — "the priest enacts the image of Christ, in whose person and by whose power he pronounces the words of consecration" (St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae III," 83, 1, 3). The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully states, "The ordained minister is, as it were, an ‘icon’ of Christ the priest" (No. 1142). In this sense, an intrinsic part of the sacramental sign of Holy Orders is the manhood of Christ.

Using St. Paul's analogy on Christ's relationship to the Church as the groom with His bride, Pope John Paul II (as did Pope Paul VI) reflected that our Lord's sacrifice on the cross with the offering of His body and blood "gives definitive prominence to the spousal meaning of God's love" ("Mulieris Dignitatem," No. 26). Christ is the bridegroom who has offered Himself completely as Redeemer to His bride, the Church, which He has created. The holy Eucharist continues to make present the redemptive act of our Lord and continues to nourish the Church. Thereupon, Christ, the bridegroom, is united with His bride, the Church, through the Eucharist. Pope John Paul II concluded, "Since Christ, in instituting the Eucharist linked it in such an explicit way to the priestly service of the Apostles, it is legitimate to conclude that He thereby wished to express the relationship between man and woman, between what is 'feminine' and what is 'masculine.' It is a relationship willed by God both in the mystery of creation and in the mystery of Redemption. It is the Eucharist above all the expresses the redemptive act of Christ, the Bridegroom, toward the Church, the Bride. This is clear and unambiguous when the sacramental ministry of the Eucharist, in which the priest acts 'in persona Christi,' is performed by man" (No. 26). (For a fuller discussion of this point, please confer the Declaration on the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood (Inter Insigniores) (1976) and Pope John Paul II's "Mulieris Dignitatem," No. 26.)

Pope Paul VI asserted these points when he wrote to Archbishop Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, concerning the ordination of women to the priesthood (Nov. 30, 1975): "[The Catholic Church] 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."

The Catechism also addressed someone's "right" to be a priest: "No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed, no one claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God. Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received only as an unmerited gift" (No. 1578).

Despite the consistent teaching of the Church concerning this matter, Pope John Paul II deemed it necessary to reiterate it once again in his apostolic letter "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis" (May 22, 1994): "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, 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" (No. 4). The Holy Father's answer is clear and definitive.

Nevertheless, as stated in the question, once again the faithful are scandalized by the defiance of the nine women who attempted ordination. A similar action took place in Germany in 2002, and those seven women were formally excommunicated. Keep in mind that the attempted ordination in both of these cases is totally invalid; they may pretend to be priests, but they are not priests. While their action is scandalous, it is also cowardly. If they are so dissatisfied with the teachings of the Catholic Church, why not join another church or start their own church? Perhaps they realize by leaving the Catholic Church they would not receive the publicity they crave. Actually, their actions reveal their understanding of priesthood as opposed to Christ’s, who came to serve, not be served. What organization would want to ordain, employ or admit someone who has no respect for authority or the organization’s rules?

The restriction of Holy Orders to men alone does not denigrate the role of women in the Church. Think of some of the great female saints like St. Clare, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Catherine of Sienna whose spiritual writings and example are still honored today. Think of famous women in our American Church: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (a wife, mother and religious), Blessed Katherine Drexel, St. Frances Cabrini and Blessed Kateri Tekawitha. Our country in America has a beautiful legacy of women religious who have served in schools, parishes, hospitals and orphanages. Each parish benefits greatly from the services of lay women who offer their time and talent in numerous capacities. Pope John Paul II emphasized in his apostolic letter, "The presence and the role of women in the life and the mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable" (No. 3).

I remember how our late Holy Father addressed this question when he visited Philadelphia in 1979, while I was still in the seminary. He reminded us that Christ calls each of us to share in His mission. Some people are called to be priests, some religious brothers and sisters, some as spouses, some as parents, some as single laity. A vocation is a not "right" but a call from Christ through the Church as He has established it. The distinction is not based on superiority, but on a difference in the levels of function and service. Everyone shares in the mission of Christ according to His plan and design, and by His grace help build-up the kingdom of God. As counseled by Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, may we faithfully, humbly and respectfully submit to the teachings of our Church as guided by the Holy Spirit.

Please note: 100 articles of this column have been compiled in a book, Straight Answers, and another 100 articles in Straight Answers II. These books are available at local religious book stores or by calling 703/256-5994 (fax 703/256-8593) or e-mailing straightanswerswps@hotmail.com. All proceeds benefit the building fund of Our Lady of Hope Church.

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