Posted on 07/02/2005 2:12:46 PM PDT by InterestedQuestioner
By Catherine Lagrange
LYON, France (Reuters) - A married French Catholic woman was ordained a priest on Saturday, an unlawful step condemned by one of the country's top Roman Catholic clerics.
Genevieve Beney, a 56-year-old physical education teacher with a theology degree, took her vows on a boat on the Saone river near this eastern French city before some 60 Catholic activists who support female ordination.
The ceremony drew condemnation from the Catholic Church, which reserves the priesthood for men.
"This act ... does not fulfil any of the conditions required by the Catholic Church, and such a ceremony unequivocally constitutes a serious act of rupture with the Catholic Church," Cardinal Philippe Barbar, archbishop of Lyon, said in a statement.
Beney insisted her ordination was a symbolic protest against rules which she described as anachronistic.
"This is not about a break with the Catholic Church because deep down I remain in spiritual communion with the universal community," she said, according to a statement read by fellow German activist Gisela Forster, one of three women who conducted the ceremony.
Beney's statement called for the Catholic Church to change its rules to allow the ordination of married men as well as women.
Ordaining women priests has been a demand of some Catholic reformers for decades. Late Pope John Paul ruled in 1994 that the Church could not even consider the issue.
To use an example even the theologian-gym teacher Genevieve Beney (and MAYBE the people at Reuters) MIGHT be able to understand:
It's like trying to consecrate a potato chip.
No can do.
TaxachusettsMan, your illustration was much more clear than mine.
Do you think the Reuters article was factually inaccurate? They didn't say she was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, but that's certainly the impression one could get from reading it.
Or a bit like starting a women at quarterback for the New England Pats?
| ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS |
| Pope John Paul II |
| Apostolic Letter On Reserving Priestly Ordination To Men Alone 1. Priestly Ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying, and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches. When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."[1] But since the question had also become the subject of debate among theologians and in certain Catholic circles, Paul VI directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to set forth and expound the teaching of the Church on this matter. This was done through the Declaration <Inter Insigniores>, which the Supreme Pontiff approved and ordered to be published.[2] 2. The Declaration recalls and explains the fundamental reasons for this teaching, reasons expounded by Paul VI, and concludes that the Church "does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination."[3] To these fundamental reasons the document adds other theological reasons which illustrate the appropriateness of the divine provision, and it also shows clearly that Christ's way of acting did not proceed from sociological or cultural motives peculiar to his time. As Paul VI later explained: "The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology—thereafter always followed by the Church's Tradition—Christ established things in this way."[4] In the Apostolic Letter <Mulieris Dignitatem>, I myself wrote in this regard: "In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with which, in all his behaviour, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time."[5] In fact, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles attest that this call was made in accordance with God's eternal plan: Christ chose those whom he willed (cf. <Mk> 3:13-14; <Jn> 6:70), and he did so in union with the Father, "through the Holy Spirit" (<Acts> 1:2), after having spent the night in prayer (cf. <Lk> 6:12). Therefore, in granting admission to the ministerial priesthood,[6] the Church has always acknowledged as a perennial norm her Lord's way of acting in choosing twelve men whom he made the foundation of his Church (cf. <Rev> 21:14). These men did not in fact receive only a function which could thereafter be exercised by any member of the Church; rather they were specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself (cf. <Mt> 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; <Mk> 3:13- 16; 16:14-15). The Apostles did the same when they chose fellow workers[7] who would succeed them in their ministry.[8] Also included in this choice were those who, throughout the time of the Church, would carry on the Apostles' mission of representing Christ the Lord and Redeemer.[9] 3. Furthermore, the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe. The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the Declaration <Inter Insigniores> points out, "the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission; today their role is of capital importance both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church".[10] The New Testament and the whole history of the Church give ample evidence of the presence in the Church of women, true disciples, witnesses to Christ in the family and in society, as well as to total consecration to the service of God and of the Gospel. "By defending the dignity of women and their vocation, the Church has shown honour and gratitude for those women who—faithful to the Gospel—have shared in every age in the apostolic mission of the whole People of God. They are the holy martyrs, virgins, and the mothers of families, who bravely bore witness to their faith and passed on the Church's faith and tradition by bringing up their children in the spirit of the Gospel".[11] Moreover, it is to the holiness of the faithful that the hierarchical structure of the Church is totally ordered. For this reason, the Declaration <Inter Insigniores> recalls: "the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (cf. <1 Cor> 12 and 13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints".[12] 4. 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. <Lk> 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. Invoking an abundance of divine assistance upon you, venerable Brothers, and upon all the faithful, I impart my Apostolic Blessing. From the Vatican, on 22 May, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 1994, the sixteenth of my Pontificate. NOTES 1. Paul VI, <Response to the Letter of His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. F. D. Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood> (30 November 1975): <AAS> 68 (1976), 599. 2. Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration <Inter Insigniores> on the Question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood (15 October 1976): <AAS> 69 (1977), 98-116. 3. <Ibid.>, 100. 4. Paul VI, <Address on the Role of Women in the Plan of Salvation (30 January 1977): <Insegnamenti>, XV (1977), 111. Cf. also John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation <Christifideles Laici> (30 December 1988), 31: <AAS> 81 (1989), 393-521; <Catechism of the Catholic Church>, No. 1577. 5. Apostolic Letter <Mulieris Dignitatem> (15 August 1988), 26; <AAS> 80 (1988), 1715. 6. Cf. Dogmatic Constitution <Lumen Gentium>, 28; Decree <Presbyterorum Ordinis>, 2b. 7 Cf. <1 Tim> 3:1-13; <2 Tim> 1:6; <Tit> 1:5-9. 8 Cf. <Catechism of the Catholic Church>, No. 1577. 9 Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church <Lumen Gentium>, 20, 21. 10 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration <Inter Insigniores>, 6: <AAS> 69 (1977), 115-116. 11 Apostolic Letter <Mulieris Dignitatem>, 27: <AAS> 80 (1988), 1719. 12 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration <Inter Insigniores>, 6: <AAS> 69 (1977), 115. |
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Electronic Copyright © 1999 EWTN . Provided Courtesy of:
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These people are insane.
Amen. It is infallible
LYON, France (Reuters) - A married French Catholic woman was ordained a priest on Saturday,
It doesn't say anything about who "ordained" her. A self-ordination?
The only reason moonbats like this get press is that the press is anti-Catholic. If I sat in a rowboat and then announced that I was a United Methodist pastor, it wouldn't even make the back page of the "Monroe Enquirer-Journal."
RE: Patriots QB
Tom is Tom and Bridget is DEFINITELY Bridget!!!!!!
Vive le difference! (Or however our staunchest allies would put it)!
But I still like your letter.
"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. 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."
Thanks A.A. There are a number of religious in my diocese who claim that Pope John Paul II failed to close the issue with "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis." How do you respond when folks tell you that this is not an infallible teaching? The argument seems to be that other bishops had "little or no knowledge of the contents of the letter before it was published," and that a teaching must be accepted by the faithful before it becomes infallible? The proponents of priestesses seem to be invoking an "ordinary magesterium of the Church," and I've no idea what that means.
Quote from http://www.womenpriests.org/.
"Nine out of ten Catholic scholars in the world support the ordination of women."
If a bishop ordained a man without getting the proper approval, that would be an illicit ordaination. Some people have said this is an invalid ordaination, but I would go a step further and say it isn't even that. If a bishop did an ordaination, without following the requisite form to make it valid, that would be invalid. In this case, someone (I don't think it mentions who) pretended to ordain this woman. Since it's not clear whether the person was a bishop, who knows if it would have been valid, even if it was a man. This is no more an ordaination than if a lay person had attempted to perform the ordaination. (BTW, it wouldn't be valid if a nonbishop priest had done it, except that some people mught dispute that. Luwig Ott cites cases where a priest ordains another priest, but in those cases the priest is likely a bishop as well. There doesn't seem to be any reliable evidence for ordainations done by priests)
"It doesn't say anything about who "ordained" her. A self-ordination?"
Regarding the one presiding bishop that was actually named, Gisela Forster, please see below, which was found at http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/cdfpriestess.htm:
DECLARATION ON PRIESTLY
ORDINATION OF CATHOLIC WOMEN
DECLARATION ISSUED BY
THE SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
JULY 10, 2002
VATICAN CITY, JUL 10, 2002 (VIS) - Following is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which warns seven Catholic women who have received priestly ordination from the hands of the founder of a schismatic community. They are required to comply with certain conditions before July 22 if they do not wish to incur excommunication. The declaration (monitum) is dated today and is signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., prefect and secretary of the dicastery.
"On June 29, 2002, Romulo Antonio Braschi, the founder of a schismatic community, attempted to confer priestly ordination on the following Catholic women: Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris M¸ller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White. [Ed. note: Angela White was a falsified name for Dagmar Braun Celeste]
"In order to give direction to the consciences of the Catholic faithful and dispel any doubts which may have arisen, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wishes to recall the teaching of the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of Pope John Paul II, which states 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' (n. 4). For this reason, the above-mentioned 'priestly ordination' constitutes the simulation of a sacrament and is thus invalid and null, as well as constituting a grave offense to the divine constitution of the Church. Furthermore, because the 'ordaining' Bishop belongs to a schismatic community, it is also a serious attack on the unity of the Church. Such an action is an affront to the dignity of women, whose specific role in the Church and society is distinctive and irreplaceable.
"The present Declaration, recalling the preceding statements of the Bishop of Linz and the Episcopal Conference of Austria and in accordance with canon 1347 ß 1 of the CIC, gives formal warning to the above-mentioned women that they will incur excommunication reserved to the Holy See if, by July 22, 2002, they do not (1) acknowledge the nullity of the 'orders' they have received from a schismatic Bishop in contradiction to the definitive doctrine of the Church and (2) state their repentance and ask forgiveness for the scandal caused to the faithful."
CDF/REPRIMAND/RATZINGER:BERTONE VIS 020710 (370)
Source: The Vatican Information Service www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/dinamiche/e1_en.htm
DECREE OF EXCOMMUNICATION
DECLARATION ISSUED BY
THE SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
AUGUST 5, 2002
On 5 August the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the Decree of Excommunication of the seven women who took part in an invalid ordination ceremony in Austria on Saturday, 29 June.
The ceremony which took place on a boat on the Danube River in Austria, was performed by Romulo Antonio Braschi, an Argentinian priest, who broke with the Catholic Church in 1998, and was ordained a Bishop in the Schismatic Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil. That group broke away from the Holy See in 1945. The seven women, from Germany, Austria and the United States are: Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris M¸ller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White. The women were given time to repent and renounce their ordination, but the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith noted that they have given no sign of repentance.
Premise to the Decree of Excommunication
In order to dispel any doubts about the canonical status of Bishop Romulo Antonio Braschi, who attempted to confer priestly ordination on several Catholic women, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith confirms that, as a schismatic, he has already incurred an excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.
Decree of Excommunication
Following upon the warning issued by this Congregation on 10 July 2002, and published the following day, because the women Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris M¸ller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White did not within the period that ended on 22 July 2002, give any indication of amendment or repentance for the most serious offense they had committed, this Dicastery, in keeping with this warning, declares that they have incurred an excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See with all the effects established by canon 1331 of the Code of Canon Law.
In having to take this action, the Congregation trusts that, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, these persons may discover the path of conversion in order to return to the unity of the faith and to communion with the Church, which they have wounded by their actions.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 5 August 2002.
JOSEPH Card. RATZINGER
Prefect
TARCISIO BERTONE, S.D.B.
Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli
Secretary
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