VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican is preparing to update the 2001 norms that deal with priestly sex abuse of minors, in effect codifying practices that have been in place for several years.
At the same time, it will include the "attempted ordination of women" among the list of most serious crimes against church law, or "delicta graviora," sources said...
OK...I understand - if not completely agree with - the Church teaching on the ordination of women. But to equate the seriousness of instances of "attempted" women's ordination with the sexual molestation of children by clergy and religious; I don't know, but does this seem out of whack to anyone else? Women who wish to serve in persona Christi, who feel called to serve so strongly that they seek out ordination. This call to serve (legitimate or not) is a serious crime, "delicta graviora", on the same level as sexual predation of children and mentally impaired adult who cannot defend themselves, by priests?
Really???
And to roll this announcement in with new codification for clerical sexual abuse penalties...bad PR to say the least. The Vatican wants to show the Church and the rest of the world that they are taking action on the abuse scandals. WHY would they roll this classification of women's' ordination in the same announcement, all but guaranteeing to overshadow the action on child abuse??? I don't know, it's as if our bishops are adamant about shooting themselves in their collective feet.
Christ have mercy.
Daily Mass Readings
Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 51:3-4,8-9,12-14,17
Matthew 10:16-23
This illustrates the reasons that I am no long a Catholic. It's not so much the actual restrictions on life as a Catholic woman, but the attitude that the Vatican has towards women. It seems that they have not come far from the medieval ideas about women being the source of sin. Every time I think I have gotten past my feelings about the Church -- this has nothing to do with me -- then they say something like this to upset me again.
ReplyDeleteThe sin, as I understand it, is not the "call" which the Vatican states simply does not exist (meaning the women are deluded. The sin is in "attempting" the ordination, which means the bishop involved in the make believe ordination is the sinner, as much as (more??) than the deluded woman. I would think if the woman is deluded her culpability may be less... Canon Law Hash!
ReplyDeleteWhat it does show is that the rape of children is of little meaning to the Vatican, despite all they mumble.
Cait
Thank you Mother Cait and Anon for your comments. I understand the anger because I share it myself. I am embarrassed for my Church in this instance.
ReplyDeletePax,
Tom
Tom-Future Franciscan
ReplyDeleteI think you and Anon above are extremely misinformed.
Yes. It is a sin to ordain a woman. I don't care how much she feels called to the priesthood. She cannot be a priest because that goes against sacred scripture and sacred tradition. I do not know why "faithful" Catholics like you cannot understand that. Maybe if you had more of a Jewisgh background and less of an Irish-druid background you would understand it a little better.
Women cannot be priests becaus it is a continuation of the priestly class of cohens. Quite frankly, I think the priesthood should be inherited, like in Judaism, the way it should be from father to son.
I would also like to point out that it was the far more progressive bishops and priests, whom you seem to admire, who were themselves the ones covering the pedophilia, or committing the pedophilia or the rape of teenage boys. I wouldn't be surprised if these same creepy men were performing the female ordinations.
And if women were ever ordained, the type of women it would attract, that is extremely conservative Pro-life, anti-gay women, would you really be happy? Or would you still be whining, like they did with Sarah Palin. You would still be complaining.
I am proud of my church in this instance. But I AM embarassed to share my church with so many lay people who think as you do. Hypocrisy: Hate your own child, but love the child in another country. Love the rapist, but hate the child that is a product of rape. Hate war but love the political discord and manipulation that occurs in our own country. Hate the pedophile, love the homosexual. It is people like you who make me want more and more to join the Pius Xers. You must think that most Catholics think like you?
I am ashamed that you call yourself a Knights of Columbus and spout heresy.
Thanks for your response.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your ideas of the priesthood - you said father to son would be ideal in your opinion; I'm wondering how that would work in the Latin Rite being all priests promise celibacy.
Hate my own child? Love the rapist? Love political discord? Are you referring to the right blog here?
Peace