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...
Why should anyone outside a jurisdiction care about jurisdictional squabbles?
ReplyDeleteThe UOC-KP isn't a jurisdiction. It's not even canonical.
DeleteYes this is not a jurisdictional squabble, this is open persecution and intimidation against the canonical Orthodox Church in the Ukraine, perpetrated by a non-canonical, schismatic group lead by a deposed and excommunicated former Bishop who said that the people of Eastern Ukraine must pay for their "sins" in blood (referring to them resisting the fascist, failing ultra-nationalist current regime squatting in Kiev). Churches have been burned, stolen, priest have been harassed, its a horrible situation in the Ukraine which, unfortunately, our government supports. The Kiev regime increases it's shelling in Eastern Ukraine on sundays when they know people are heading to out of their homes for church. It's a sick situation. Lord have Mercy.
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