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...
Is that in effect the news from this meeting or just your title for it :-)? The Ukrainians are have a clergy conference in New Jersey right now - are they circling their wagons too? :-)
ReplyDeleteWho knows? Though the Ukrainians are under Constantinople so they have a different perspective on the whole process I expect.
DeleteWagons? Circling? Maybe, but the title assumes facts not in evidence.
ReplyDeleteIt's a wise move. +Philip of blessed memory had some choice words for the EA process. The Russians see no reason to kowtow to a few Byzantine outposts in the Mediterranean.
ReplyDeleteThis was simply a regular Synod meeting, held in conjunction with the celebration of the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which the MP exarch was naturally invited to.
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