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| Pope Francis has repeatedly pushed for greater roles for women in the church, but maintains that |
priesthood is for men only. (ANDREW MEDICHINI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO)
There have been a number of reports recently about the ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church. From The Star, for example: "The Vatican’s commission of Latin American church leaders is demanding greater decision-making opportunities for women in the church and proposing that Pope Francis call a special meeting of the world’s bishops to discuss women."
"The Pontifical Commission for Latin America said after its recent plenary that the church needs a radical ?Change of mentality? In the way it views and treats half of humanity. It was published in Thursday?S Vatican newspaper, L?Osservatore Romano.
"The commission members ? 22 Latin American cardinals and bishops, plus 15 women who joined the panel for the meeting ? Said it was both possible and ?Urgent? To increase opportunities for women at the parish, diocesan and Vatican level.
" 'This opening isn?T a concession to cultural or media pressure, but the result of a realization that the lack of women in decision-making roles is a defect, an ecclesiological gap and the negative effect of a clerical and macho conception,' the communique said.
"They warned that if the church doesn?T fix the problem soon, women will simply leave." Full text here.
Also, from Life Site: "Recent comments from Viennese prelate Christoph Cdl. Sch?Nborn, apparently supportive of ordaining women, are opposed, I suggest, to at least three mendasar ecclesiological values but they have occasioned, as far I have seen, no correction whatsoever from Church leadership, and thus seem to be a chilling illustration of the erosion of order in the Church." Read the response here.
What many Anglicans liked about the Anglican Church was that it was both catholic and reformed, retaining the creeds and threefold ministry of the deacon, priest and bishop. But further reforming has plagued the Anglican Communion. In adapting to local circumstances, provinces in the US and here in the UK have allowed political activism to over-rule scripture and tradition.
In Wales a political fix saw the first woman bishop appointed to the diocese of St Davids followed by a second appointment by the bench of bishops to the diocese of Llandaff. The consequence has been a shift to gender politics. Sexuality has replaced spirituality while gender equality is the new mission.
None of this need have happened. Generally, the sort of women who agitated to become deacons saw the move as a stepping-stone. After their objective was achieved it was claimed to be unfair that women deacons were not allowed to be priests. After they were admitted to the priesthood it was the stained glass ceiling. Allowing them to be elected as bishops was now the "only logical step" said arch-schemer Barry Morgan. The stained glass was shattered along with Anglicanism. The results are clear for all to see.
To claim that 'if the church doesn?T fix the persoalan soon, women will simply leave' is absurd. Many women have left the Anglican Church because of the changes, not because they are sexist but because the church has become secularised.
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