That article does not in any way answer the question as to why women cannot be priests.
I didn't say it did. I stated that it discussed how the Church wasn't
sexist.
You have not stated why women cannot be priests. At no point have you been able to answer the question as to what makes a women unable to perform the duties of a priest.
Which is sexist. Because there is no solid reasoning for why women are unable to be priests especially when looking at so many other religions were they do quite admirably in the same role.
The difference being I can give you a very solid reason as to why you are incapable of bearing children (you lack a womb and the other necessary plumbing) whilst you have so far been unable to do so for the question of why women are incapable of being priests.
This is getting a bit messy to reply to so I am going to try and answer all that together.
Only a man can represent Christ during the Eucharist and perform the transubstantiation. You may not believe that but Catholics do. Only a woman can bear a child in exactly the same way only a man can perform the transubstantiation. It is nothing to do with choice or willingness but it is impossible for a woman to do this. That is a Catholic dogma. It is as much a part of the faith as the assumption of Mary.
You might not agree with aspects of the Catholic faith but these are what come with the territory. If you accuse the Catholic Church of sexism over this then you might as well accuse God of being sexist for sending his only son to die on the cross rather than some sort of androgyne.
Worry not, she no longer uses contraception. Unless having sex with a man who has had a vasectomy is a sin? In which case, she sins on a regular basis.
Whilst you may not be trying to stop me from living my life in any way that I choose your church most certainly is trying to stop others from living their lives in ways they choose.
If she used contraception then each time she was committing a sin. Am I in a position to judge her? Absolutely not. I have committed plenty of sins myself. Is having sex with a man who has had a vasectomy a sin? I don't believe that it would be classed so in any way. The Church asks that we be open to children. I don't believe she regards you as some sort of chattel? Membership of the Church is voluntary - but there are rules you are supposed to try and follow.
So you honestly believe that the fact gay men (and women obviously) have the right to marry someone of the opposite gender makes the Catholic churches objections to gay marriage acceptable? Would the right to worship be OK if it only allowed Anglican Worship?
I am sorry but I am not clear on what you are actually asking me here. Can you rephrase your question please.
Yeah, with absolutely no evidence for it.
Well we don't have evidence for the existence of God. On the evidence scale this is the least of our worries.
Haven't you yourself said that all people sin? Surely then the Catholic Church will always be placing a child with parents that are doing wrong? Are you aware of what our care system is like (without going in to what the Catholic run care system in Ireland was like..)? Considerably more damage is likely to be done leaving a child in care than haivng them adopted by a gay couple.
All people sin and for redemption you must acknowledge that sin and repent. You must also strive to not commit that same sin again. An actively homosexual couple clearly are not making any effort on that basis and that is where the Church has a problem. I am well aware of what the care system is like here (and in Ireland) and I don't deny that people make mistakes.
How on earth is calling her a heretic not judging her? (Though to be fair, you alluded to any person believing that to be a heretic and I was the one that mentioned my wife...)
Or (c) Able to think critically for themselves and realise that sometimes the Catholic Church is not always doing things guided by god. Unless you think the selling of indulgences was also OK?
It changed it's mind on the status of married clergy at least once so far (and sort of a second time too). Seems that these things can be changed after all.
I shall let her know, she can have a word with the priest and see what the process is. It is going to play havoc with school places though and the mother in law will probably blame me which will make Christmas Dinner akward.
Alternatively it could quite possibly be that questioning the chruch isn't grounds for excommunication any more? As long as my wife doesn't actually go and get ordained she hasn't really commited the sin of heresy.
I am not suggesting that questioning the Church is a ground for excommunication. Heresy isn't about questioning the church - it is about rejecting one of the Churches infallible Dogma. I question the actions of the Church on a regular basis. However there are certain things that as a Catholic you have to accept without question.
One of those things for example is the divinity of Jesus. As a Catholic you have to accept that Jesus was the son of God. If you reject that dogma then you are committing the sin of heresy. It is simply incompatible with the faith.
Not everything the Church teaches is dogma. The ban on married clergy for example, and the Church still will not ordain married men. What is will do is recognise the marriage and ordination of men who come into communion with the Church.
There is a good guide on heresy
here.
I would show this quote to your wife :
Pope John Paul II said:
"Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church’s judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force. Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Luke 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful" (OrdinatioSacerdotalis 4).
Again I am not saying that the Church can never be questioned but that there are certain items of faith that as a Catholic you must accept without question. Not accepting these is simply incompatible with being a Catholic.
