Feminist Clericalism

That women cannot be ordained priests is something that with St. John Paul II was clarified and definitively closed. But in relation to the diaconal ordination, the subject was not so clear. For this reason, Pope Francis constituted a commission to study the case: could women be ordained deacons? The New Testament and the history of the Church speak of women deacons, or deaconesses, but, despite that name, it is not clear whether they were considered clergywomen, such as deacons, or laywomen. Some say it was a true degree of the sacrament of order attributed to women; and there are those who say that no, that they were lay-women who performed some of services proper the deacons only for practical reasons (for example, it was deaconesses who baptized women, as a matter of pudor, cause the baptism was by emersion). Given this scenario, and cause the commission was inconclusive, Pope Francis does not want to advance for the ordination of women deacons.
This prudent and wise decision by the Pope is generating a disproportionate reaction in Germany, with many women goings on "strike" absenting at Sunday Mass: they gather at hour of Mass outside the churches demanding the ordination of women, among other revindications of "greater equality "in the Church. Voluntarily abstaining from Sunday mass is a mortal sin, so it is not a way to protest for a conscious Christian, man or woman. In addition, it is not becoming clerics that women will play a more important role in the Church. The woman should be present, yes, in the pastoral councils and other organs where the life of the Church is decided. It is not because they are not ordained that they are less important; if they are present in these decision-making bodies, their active and co-responsible participation is ensured. The Second Council Vatican brought a greater awareness that lay people (and, therefore, women) are also Church, not passive bystanders.
The Pope has pointed to clericalism as one of the great problems of the Church. Now, behind this strike is a clericalist mentality, which thinks that being lay (or laywoman) is a thing of the least; and they think this because they think that the priests are "the bosses" in the Church; and they want “to boss" too! They have not yet realized that in the Church it is not a matter of "to boss", but rather of serving, "as the Son of man, that was came to serve and to give life." The sacrament of order depends on the vocation, it is not an honour that someone takes for himself! This is not a right! The most important person in the Church, subsequently of Jesus, is Mary; even without being a priestess or deaconess.

Fr. Orlando Guerra Henriques

Leia este artigo em português na nossa edição em papel.