Surprisingly, I find myself once again tending to agree with the Vatican. It is difficult to criticize the Vatican's recent general decree to automatically excommunicate anyone ordaining a woman to the priesthood as well as excommunicating the woman being ordained. I have read a number of the comments in the "National Catholic Reporter" about this being an abuse of authority and questioning why such an act is considered a greater offense than the sexual abuse of children by priests. For me though, the institutional position of the Church is and has been clear, and if they cannot sanction such a clear violation of their stated norms then just what would be considered a legitimate exercise of authority by the institutional church? Given current teaching and laws of the institutional church its hard to argue that this general decree does not make sense. I could point to many examples of abuse of authority within the Church, but I don't believe this is one of them.
The real question is, what will it take to get this institution moving again? The Church shut down for four hundred years after the Council of Trent. John XXIII opened the windows ever so briefly, and John Paul II closed them again. They have forgotten the mantra of "ecclesia semper reformanda". Without going into a long list of changes that grew out of Vatican II, it is hard to argue that the Church is not a better institution because of this council. I believe this reflects the value of openness, dialogue, and the ferment of thought and discussion, even if one might argue that at times this ferment needs to be temporarily curtailed or controlled. There is no growth or development without it. Just think what is lost by silencing theologians and shutting down debate.
We need serious and unbiased studies on women in the Church and celibacy in the priesthood. We need model programs in selected countries of ordaining married priests and returning some married priests to active ministry. We need an introduction of women deacons into some communities. Basically, we need to begin to see some forward movement, however limited. How do we get there? The Church must be challenged by all those who believe that it can be more than what it is right now. When we acquiesce to business as usual we enable the heirarchy to continue in the fantasy that all is well. Even the sex abuse crisis has not altered their conviction that their good old boy network can survive unchanged forever. Can it??
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2 comments:
Pat, I would just like for you to clarify - you are not against women being ordained in the Catholic Church, your point is simply that the general decree is consistent with current church teaching on the ordination of women. And, if I read you correctly, you're suggesting the problem is that the church has stopped progressing and what is needed is for progress to again be jumpstarted in the church so that someday women can be ordained and priests can be married. Is that right?
Patrick,
You are absolutely correct. I think I may have not been as clear as I would have liked in this entry.
My point was that you cannot expect an organization to operate differently that its stated position. The fact is when progress finally starts again within the Church, it would still be a long time before the Church would approve the ordination of women.
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