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...
I wonder what this means for OCA homosexualist reformists like the priest Robert Arida and his deacon (name escapes me at the moment). They still have Met. Tikhon (and no doubt others) as cover for now...
ReplyDeleteWell, this reformist group would be the ones to submit to the EP, if a split comes. I strongly suspect they have a certain priestmonk already in the wings to fill Archbishop Nikon's seat. And I suspect he would carry on. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so. I'd prefer not to name the man at this point in time.
ReplyDeletei would like to see an american born, american educated, widowed priest to carry on,,,new england needs a dynamic young leader,,,,at present it is wiltering.
ReplyDeleteLord have mercy.
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