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...
AOANA and OCA are done. The Orthodox experiment in the Americas is over. 30 years ago before entering the Orthodox Church (OCA) from Rome, I was told Orthodoxy was not like the 'denominations' of Protestantism or have the 'problems' of Catholicism. The Bishop and his minions LIED to me! It's even worse than that. I have seen both jurisdictions deteriorate. The Antiochians I always expected as they were nothing more than Eastern Rite Episcopalians led by their 'Presiding Bishop' Philip. What a joke!
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