Discussions of Eastern Christianity, often with a Byzantine flavor. Posts on the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, and even the occasional church of the West.
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...
( CMC ) - From 25 January to 2 February, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is being held in Jerusalem, with the theme: ‘Do you believe this?’ (Jn 11:26). This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea, which gives us the opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians.
This reminds me of some of the illumnations completed in Iberia during the same time.
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