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...
The rascal in me will be interested to watch the MP partisans justify an invasion (assuming there is one) and messy "fix" to ecclesiastical situation from their point of view by the point of the sword. The twist and turn of legal logic, the denials, who deserved what, will be thick and yet thin ;)
ReplyDeleteOK, I'll bite.
DeleteUkraine is a failing state that's turning into a giant trash dump (literally). Its governors will do whatever the US foreign policy establishment has dreamed up for the place. From the perspective of the Russians, they don't want a NATO base next door to their Black Sea ports; they want Ukraine Finland-ized.
There are three countries that matter in the world and will naturally assert themselves in their respective spheres. In similar sentiment (though not circumstances), the US would turn Texas into a pink mist at any serious attempts to secede.
Ukraine costs US taxpayers $600M a year. For my part, I couldn't care less which set of Slavs rules Ukraine. I'm not sure even Russia wants to rule Ukraine--they just want to neuter it like they did Chechnya.
Orthodoxy is turning into another vector for Old World rivalries to worm their way into District of Columbia imperial intrigues. You might say that, in her own way, the Orthodox Church contributes to the further fracturing of the American polity.
I don't know who is right, but it is sad the the Patriarch of Alexandria didn't humbly ask what he did to so strongly alienate so many clergy in his patriariarchate. Some humility and and repentance might have gone a long way in healing the situation.
DeleteIt's easy to be mad at our hierarchs for not humbly asking such questions and turning to repentance. Thankfully, we're not in their shoes. I'm not sure I'd do much better.
DeleteRussell - somebody here commented that the priests just needed steady paychecks and the MP was happy to oblige. No idea.
DeleteThey're not wrong, sadly enough.
ReplyDeleteWould be nice if we were to pray for peace among brothers.
ReplyDelete