Originally Posted by
carmicaeld
so, some people here argue that human dignity and equality are based on utility and function or allowing women to do the same things as men. and only in doing the same things can the two genders be equal in dignity. and that to deny women the same functions would definitely mean denying equality. did i get your assumptions correct?
if so, let me continue. while these assumptions are logical, its foundations are not. in fact, Catholic (or even most Christian) views do not associate equality with function or roles. a human being is not lesser than another based on what they can or cannot do. the Church values all humans equally.
again, some people believe that women are not given equality because they are denied a function (priestly ordination). but, this is not what true equality means. we, the Church, believe that women are equal with men because of their innate dignity as children of God. women are equal with men, but are different in their own respects.
while some of you would argue that this begs the question as to why women can't be ordained as priests, it is important to understand, however, that the liturgical act or the priestly ordination is an act of marriage. in fact, Jesus called the Church his "bride". (Mark 2:19-20, Rev 19:7-8, Rev 21:1-2). the Church is always reffered to as "she", because of this marriage/covenant between Christ and the Church. this is a clear indication why priestly ordinations are only given to men.
the priest stands in the person of Christ. and since Christ was male, the priest, in "persona Chrisi" must also be male. the Church as bride will always be feminine just as a priest must always be masculine, reflecting the divine union between husband and wife.
in our society, today, some people also push for same-gender marriages. surprisingly, some of those people also push for female ordination. if the Church approves of a female priest as the groom and the female Church as the bride, it would reflect the Church's approval of homosexuality and same-gender marriage. this, it cannot do.
to wrap this tl;dr stuff: i suppose most "pro-female priests" think that being a priest is getting a title or position of superiority over the rest. no, it isn't. being a priest... is being a servant. although i do agree that there would be some priests abusing the position. but, it does not change the fact that the essence of being a priest is being a servant. so, would that put "male" priests above any woman? or to rephrase the question: would that put male "servants" above any woman? hmm....
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