Friday, May 30, 2008

Vatican Issues Statement on Women Priests

According to Catholicnews.com, the Vatican has officially instituted penalties of automatic excommunication for those involved in the ordination of a woman.  I suppose they are hoping that the male bishops that were responsible for secretly ordaining female bishops will come forward now that they are excommunicated, but I don't think that that will happen.  

The significant thing here is that in 1994 when John Paul II released his letter stating that the issue of women priests was closed and no longer open to debate among Catholics, that many Catholics chose not to listen.  This papal teaching has been rejected by lay Catholics, lay ecclesial ministers, priests, bishops, and now the Pope himself.  Benedict has in one sense rejected this teaching by John Paul II by allowing the Vatican to put out this statement that will undoubtedly keep the debate alive and well.

A Faithful Catholic

2 comments:

Dad29 said...

Right-O!

B-16 ignores JPII's definitive statement by following up.

CatholicSoldier said...

Or the Pope realized that John Paul II's statement required the full force of Church discipline to back it up due to the continued attempts by various "heretics" to set themselves up as part of the Church. Thus, for the sake of the whole, it became necessary to underline that not only is the teaching non-negotiable, but it carries the ultimate sanction for violation, EXCOMMUNICATION.