Why Can't Women Be Priests In the Catholic Church?

                One of the most controversial topics within the Catholic Church is women as priests.  As more and more churches allow women to be ordained, the Catholic Church has come under attack.  People claim that it is a matter of justice, and that the Church must not value women.  But what really is the Church’s reasoning of this topic?

In a recent interview, Pope Francis discussed the role of women in the Catholic Church.  The interviewer asked the pope what women’s part within the church should be and how it can be made more visible.  Pope Francis replied by saying,

                “It is necessary to broaden the opportunities for a stronger presence of women in the church.  I am wary of a solution that can be reduced to a kind of ‘female machismo,’ because a woman has a different make-up than a man.”  He went on to say, “The woman is essential for the church. Mary, a woman, is more important than the bishops. I say this because we must not confuse the function with the dignity. We must therefore investigate further the role of women in the church.” (Read the full interview)

                The Catholic Church teaches that the rule of only men being ordained in no way demeans women.  God has given the same dignity to both man and woman, but each have different duties and charisms. (Gifts of the Holy Spirit)  The Church sees herself as bound by the fact that Jesus chose only men to be present at the Last Supper, which was the institution of the priesthood. (Source)  In 1994, Pope John Paul II said,

                “…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.” (JPII Apostolic Letter)

                According to the Church, the community is to see the representation of Jesus Christ through male priests.  Jesus protected and affirmed the value of women; they were among his followers and He highly valued their faith.  Women play an important role within the Catholic Church, and as Pope Francis said in his interview,

                “The challenge today is this: to think about the specific place of women also in those places where the authority of the church is exercised for various areas of the church.”