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...
Is it normal practice to consecrate with the left hand?
ReplyDeleteHere it looks like those standing on the right side of the altar are usinf their right hand and vice-versa
Delete"All the ordaining hierarchs place their right hands upon the Holy Gospel as the Archbishop exclaims......." then follows the consecration prayer. This quote is from the Consecration of Bishop Gregory in ACROD. It us odd and especially odd in ROCOR a self confessed buardina of tradition that one of their bishops should use his left hand. Every priest knows that the right hand is the hand of blessing.
ReplyDeleteBad typos from half blind cleric :-)
ReplyDeleteus=is
buardina=guardian