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...
I did not watch this particular episode of Fr. Johns videocast, but one released earlier this month about 14 minutes in Fr. John says in relation to the Wuhan virus pandemic and how society/governments/church responds:
ReplyDelete"...you actually have to deal with reality, you actually have to tell the truth..."
Followed a sentence or two later by:
"...a virus to a mask, even an n95 mask, is like a marble to chicken wire..."
Which is false.
Buyer (of culture vs. faith narrative) beware...