Equal opportunity pulpits

There continues to be considerable resistance in some quarters to the ordination of women. The battle seems to particularly pitched in the Catholic Church where the Vatican has recently cracked down on any dissent in the ranks. For example, the American nuns participating in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious were harshly reprimanded and branded "radical feminists" for even hosting speakers that advocated the ordination of women. High profile priests have even been excommunicated for supporting leadership roles for women, including Roy Bourgeois of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. This zero-tolerance policy for dissent is strangely ironic for an organization that has huffed and puffed so mightily on the subject of religious freedom.

Perhaps the intolerance of any discussion on the ordination of women is not having the intended effect. The National Catholic Register just published an extraordinary editorial in support of ordination of our sisters in Christ. The opening salvo does not mince words.

The call to the priesthood is a gift from God. It is rooted in baptism and is called forth and affirmed by the community because it is authentic and evident in the person as a charism. Catholic women who have discerned a call to the priesthood and have had that call affirmed by the community should be ordained in the Roman Catholic church. Barring women from ordination to the priesthood is an injustice that cannot be allowed to stand.

The editorial then goes on to provide a detailed history of the Vatican's policy since 1976. At that time, the powers that be issued a statement that opened the door to possibility of ordaining women.

In April 1976 the Pontifical Biblical Commission concluded unanimously: "It does not seem that the New Testament by itself alone will permit us to settle in a clear way and once and for all the problem of the possible accession of women to the presbyterate." In further deliberation, the commission voted 12-5 in favor of the view that Scripture alone does not exclude the ordination of women, and 12-5 in favor of the view that the church could ordain women to the priesthood without going against Christ's original intentions.

There was soon a move to slam the door shut, with the charge being led by Cardinal Ratzinger at the behest of Pope John Paul II. The Cardinal has continued the hardline approach after becoming Pope Benedict XVI. Opposition to the ordination of women became a key litmus test in determining fitness to move up the ranks from priest to bishop. As the case of Roy Bourgeois demonstrates, a priest now risks excommunication for daring to question official doctrine.

The Holy Spirit cannot be behind demands for obedience to church leaders and calls from the faithful for a change in policy. There is also something about the arrogance and oppressive actions by the powerful that seem far from Christ-like. Humble leadership is the mark of the Lord.