The ‘women priests’ story, again
Liberal elite media like the New York Times try to blow these things way out of proportion when they come up, and add distorted reporting to it of course, to sway opinion about the Church. It’s not even a matter of charitably allowing them the possibility that they’re just ignorant of the facts. The facts are easy to check, and easy to get right.
So we have this story about these women who think they were ordained to the priesthood, which they weren’t.
But fortunately, the people of St. Louis, for the most part, got undertand it fully and well. The Post-Dispatch reported truthfully that this bogus ceremony involved a little group of renegades who have alienated their own congregations. The paper even carried some interesting letters to the editor from local Catholics speaking out in defense of Church teaching.
For anybody left unsure of what that teaching is, Archbishop Raymond Burke covers it well in his column this week.
Although the attempted ordinations will produce no sacramental reality, that is, will be sacramentally empty, they will be the cause of much confusion among the faithful and others who are not members of the Roman Catholic Church. Already, the media attention to the proposed attempt to ordain two women to the Roman Catholic priesthood has generated much confusion about the Church’s teaching and practice.Â
Sooo…..here’s a bunch of information to get and bookmark, for future reference, just so Catholics finally have those answers ready when challenged or criticized again.
In view of the confusion which has already been caused by the announcement of the attempted ordinations and will be caused by the eventual attempt itself, it is critical that Catholics be prepared to give an account of the Church’s teaching to those who may inquire with them about the matter or may wish to discuss the matter with them. In addition to Pope John Paul’s apostolic letter “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis,” the document, “Ten Frequently Asked Questions about the Reservation of Priestly Ordination to Men,” prepared by the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is most helpful. The article, “Pastoral Response to the Teaching on Women’s Ordination,” by the eminent theologian Cardinal Avery Dulles, is also most helpful. These resources are all available at the archdiocesan website, www.archstl.org. If you wish to study the matter even more extensively, I recommend the book, “The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the Church,” by Sister Sara Butler, MSBT, a most respected theologian and professor of dogmatic theology at St. Joseph Seminary of the Archdiocese of New York.
That makes it easy to be informed. Let’s make it easier:
Here’s John Paul II’s document on the male priesthood.
Here’s the USCCB’s ’10 FAQs’ about the male priesthood.
Here’s Sr. Sara Butler’s excellent book “The Catholic Priesthood and Women”. I not only highly recommend it, I consider it the definitive reference and resource guide on the subject.
Be ready with an answer.