Women and the Priesthood: A Theological Reflection | Jean Galot, S.J. | From "Theology of the
Priesthood" | IgnatiusInsight.com
Women and the Priesthood: A Theological Reflection | Jean Galot, S.J. | From
Theology of the Priesthood
http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2007/jgalot_priesthood_aug07.asp
Editor's Note: The following excerpt is from the concluding chapter of Fr. Galot's
Theology of the Priesthood, titled
"The Mission of Woman and the Priesthood." It comes after examinations of the claim to a priesthood for women, the ecumenical situation,
and the teachings of Jesus, the New Testament, and the Church.
The tradition of the Church, firm and unchanging, rests on the
fundamental fact which is Christ's own decision:
Jesus chose only men to exercise the priestly ministry. His will
revealed itself clearly in the choice of the Twelve, in the powers conferred upon them, and especially in the fact that he
restricted to them alone participation in the
Last Supper and entrusted to them the responsibility of the work of
evangelization. This will has the mark of permanency
in it, for, through the institution of this ministry, Jesus intended to
insure the future of his Church and provide for
the entire development to
come. This will should not be ascribed to the prejudices of his time and
place,
nor to any notion on his part of woman's inferiority, for he showed
clearly
how he resisted the mentality of his contemporaries, how resolved he was
to
restore equality between men and women, and how he intended to
promote
woman's role in the work of salvation.
Upon this foundation we can, in theological reflection, gain a
better
understanding of what Jesus' intention means and of the divine design
that is
expressed in it. Whatever the outcome of these reflections, whatever
discussions may ensue because of them, the solidity of the foundation
remains unshaken. When it comes to the solution of the issue, what is
essential is the
will of Christ, as acknowledged in tradition and supported by the
definitive
and ever present normativeness of Church authority. Theological
reflection is
only an attempt at perceiving the reasons that impelled that will, at
grasping
its scope and warrant with greater clarity and precision. [31]
I. PRIESTHOOD AND MALENESS
Why did Jesus restrict the ministerial priesthood to men? Jesus never
gave
reasons, just as he never revealed why he instituted the pastoral
authority of
the Twelve, or why he conferred the primacy upon Peter.
But Jesus did reveal in what direction our mind should proceed by
emphasizing the link between his own priestly mission and that of his
disciples:
"As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (Jn
17:18).
The sending of the Son by the Father is the foundation and model of the
sending of the disciples on the part of Christ.
The similarity between the two missions is complemented by the fact
that
the disciples relate to Jesus as his representatives. Jesus willed that
his disciples
should act in his name and be his representatives. He conferred upon
them a
pastoral power in the image of his own and entrusted to them the task
of
celebrating the Eucharist in his name.
It follows that the assignment of the ministerial priesthood to males
must
be explained with reference to Christ himself and the mystery of the
Incarna-
tion. "Christ, who was distinct in that mystery, assumed a mission to
which
authority was attached to become the head of the Body." Following the
example of Christ, the priest is called upon to perform a role that
calls for the
exercise of authority and the embodiment of a relationship to Christ. He
is
called to lead the community as its shepherd and to do this in the name
of
Christ by representing the power that belongs to the Head of the Church.
[32]
The divine choice that once singled out the male gender for the
Incarnation
also assigns to this gender the priestly ministry. If the priesthood is
restricted to
- men, it is not, then, because of a casual decision predicated on
contingencies, but because of an essential orientation built into the
mystery of the Incarna-
tion.
2. THE PROMOTION OF WOMAN'S MISSION IN THE CHURCH
The real issue is not whether women should have access to the
priestly
ministry but how the participation of women in ecclesial endeavors
should be
promoted. If Jesus restricted to males the pastoral ministry, it was for
the
sake of enabling women to carry out an ecciesial mission more suited to
their
personality and more productive. Therefore, the Church ought to favor
this
promotion of feminine activity which is an expression of the
universal
priesthood of the faithful.
The complementarity of the sexes is meant to express itself in the
cooperation of women in the service of the Church. In the mystery of the
Incarnation, a woman plays an indispensable role, a maternal role, in
Jesus' own coming to being here below. As mentioned, this maternal role
has continued
in the form of cooperation with Christ's own work. It is exercised even
now
in the motherhood of Mary with respect to the Church. All this points
out
decisively the importance of woman's mission carried out in keeping
with
specific feminine capacities.
This complementarity was highlighted in a special way by the risen
Christ
when he entrusted a mission to Mary Magdalene. This gesture goes to
show
that the ministerial priesthood entrusted to the apostles should not be
self-contained, and should not dispense with womanly cooperation. Nor
does this
priesthood bestow upon the male holders of it a wholesale primacy in the
proclamation of the Good News. A woman was the first witness to the
Resurrection and was given the mission to convey the first message of
the Risen One.
We are dealing, then, with a reciprocal complementarity based on
priorities which intersect and complement each other. In order to be
integrally
translated into practice, this complementarity would have to bring about
the
abrogation of all inequities, of anything that still bespeaks
inferiority for
women, and of all the prejudices that make it more difficult for men
and
women to work together. It should also seek to establish the
conditions
which will stimulate the manifold resources of the feminine personality
to
devote themselves to the service of the Church.
Not only is it important not to identify the Church with the
hierarchical
authority, but we must also, in a concrete way, promote the spontaneity
and
originality women are called upon to contribute toward the Church's
unfolding through activities in which women's initiative and ways are
affirmed
in cooperation with the ministerial priesthood.
Some have suggested the establishment of a diaconate for women. [33]
Since
such a diaconate existed once in the Eastern Church, no obstacle on the
part of Church tradition precludes its establishment now. [34] However,
even in the
early centuries, the empowerment of deaconesses was not on a par with
that
of deacons. Deaconesses were the lowest rank in the clergy. Hence, this
ecclesial office could hardly have been looked upon at that time as a
recognition
of woman's dignity. A similar problem would arise today. The
feminine
diaconate would, on the one hand, convey the impression that women
may
travel along the road that leads to the sacrament of holy orders, and on
the
other, it would emphasize even more forcefully the fact that the
presbyterate
lies beyond their reach. Besides, why "clericalize" women by escorting
them
into the clergy? [35] If we follow this road, we are unlikely to promote
authentically the mission of women in the Church. Once more, we would be
looking for a way of letting the mission of the woman look like that of
the man.
The data in the gospels that reveal Christ's intention rather invite
the
Church to enlist women in the exercise of a mission that is consistent
with a
woman's personality and so favors the respect and the appreciation of
the difference.
ENDNOTES:
[31] In his reaction against the decision taken by the Episcopal Church
in the U.S.A., the
Anglican theologian E. L. Mascall emphasizes the theological nature of
the issue. He notes that
our task is to ascertain whether the Christian religion be a reality
revealed by God through his
incarnate Son, who requires an obedient fidelity to him, or whether it
be a reality we are entitled to build according to our own
specifications, by the use of democratic procedures and majority vote,
in accordance with our own desires and the pressures exerted by
contemporary
society ("Some Basic Considerations", in Man, Woman, Priesthood,
p. 26).
[32] Hopko draws a comparison with the divine persons. To claim that
women are
discriminated against because they are excluded from ordination is as
much as saying that the
Holy Spirit is a victim of discrimination because he is not the Logos
and God's Son ("On the
Male Character", St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly [1975J:
'70). It is certain that the equality
of the sexes and the difference between them derive first and foremost
from the equality and difference which mark the divine persons. The
human community has been fashioned as the image
of the divine community.
[33] The appropriateness seems to be grounded on Jesus' quality as Head
rather than as Spouse.
To respond to the objection that the priest acts in the name of the
Church, the Bride, the
Declaration Inter insignia emphasizes that the priest acts in the name
of Christ the Head of the
Church, and that it is because of this that he represents the Church in
his priestly action. In conclusion, headship is the specific characteristic of the priestly
ministry. It is this quality that warrants the assignment of the priesthood to males.
[34] Cf. Effort diaconal: Ordination des femmes au diaconat (Jan.
-June 1974); B. Weiss, "Zum Diakonat der Frau", TTZ 84 (1975): 14-27; F.
Corrigan, "The Deaconess: Past and Future", Clergy Review 62
(1977): 474-80.
[35] Cf. Gryson, Le Ministère des femmes, p. ii: "From a
doctrinal viewpoint, it is perfectly
conceivable that women could be entrusted with a ministry of a diaconal
type. This was done in
the Church for many centuries, and no doctrinal issue ensued."
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Jean Galot, S.J. is professor emeritus of Christology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is
internationally known for his biblical and theological scholarship, particularly in the area of Christology. He is a
frequent contributor to L'Osservatore Romano.
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