Sr. Vassa: There's no ontological impediment to priestesses
Is the male-only priesthood a discipline or essential to the nature of being a priest? Sr. Vassa (again unflinchingly taking up a contentious topic by climbing up the ladder to the highest platform and then jumping into the deep end head first) dives right in and says there is no reason beyond personal preference to not have female clergy. You know, when people ask me about women in priesthood, they say, 'Sister, why can't women be priests?' And I say, 'Women CAN be priests. We don't WANT them to be priests.' Because you see, God can do anything, and the Church, by divine authority, uh, can do anything, but, the Church doesn't want to - and that's a legitimate reason. What I don't like is when we TRY to pretend that there are other reasons for this, because it's legitimate not to want something, and there are reasons not to want this - right? - but, we shouldn't pretent that there's some... reason, that, for example, the maleness...
Why do the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA even still exist? I don't have a problem with them but it strikes me as odd especially since ROCOR/Moscow/OCA are now playing nice. I have followed the PP's for years and I don't think they have grown a single parish anywhere in the USA. If they were active in the missionary fiels I'd say 'good for them' but they don't seem to do anything but sit there. Does anyone out there belong to a PP church and can explain their purpose?
ReplyDeleteIt may sound harsh but I say either 'grow or go', in other words join the OCA or ROCOR.