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| I wish seriously that Catholicism would just drop this 'bride of Christ' imagery as it leads to all kinds of mental gender bending. |
When I read an article like the one I have excerpted below, I really wonder if priests like Dominican Fr Giertych expect any thinking lay person to take him seriously. What makes this treatise more disturbing is that Fr Geirtych is the official theologian of the Papal household. The following is the last half of the article dealing with women's ordination. The original article was posted on Catholic News Service. It was written by Francis X Rocca.
Why not women priests? The papal theologian explains
Francis X Rocca - Catholic News Service - 1/31/2013
.......Reflecting on differences between the sexes, Father Giertych suggested other reasons that men are especially suited to the priesthood.
Men are more likely to think of God in terms of philosophical definitions and logical syllogisms, he said, a quality valuable for fulfilling a priest's duty to transmit church teaching.
Although the social and administrative aspects of church life are hardly off-limits to women, Father Giertych said priests love the church in a characteristically "male way" when they show concern "about structures, about the buildings of the church, about the roof of the church which is leaking, about the bishops' conference, about the concordat between the church and the state."
Father Giertych acknowledged that a Catholic woman might sincerely believe she is called to the priesthood, but said such a "subjective" belief does not indicate the objective existence of a vocation. (Hmm, she might 'feel' she was called, rather than 'think' she was called in a manly philosophical way.)
None of which means that women hold an inferior place in the church, he said. (but never the less a marginal place in teaching and governance. Can't have feelings and subjective stuff interfering with the manly logical and philosophical ponderings about leaky roofs and concordats with right wing dictators.)
"Every baptized person, both male and female, participates in the priesthood of Christ through the sacrament of baptism, drawing the fruits of the paschal mystery to one's own soul," he said. "And maybe in some sense we could say that, in this, women are more apt to draw from the mystery of Christ, by the quality of their prayer life, by the quality of their faith."
Women are better able than men to perceive the "proximity of God" and enter into a relationship with him, Father Giertych said, pointing to the privileged role played by women in the New Testament.
"Women have a special access to the heart of Jesus," he said, "in a very vivid way of approaching him, of touching him, of praying with him, of pouring ointment on his head, of kissing his feet."
"The mission of the woman in the church is to convince the male that power is not most important in the church, not even sacramental power," he said. "What is most important is the encounter with the living God through faith and charity." (Is he saying women are supposed to push men to get out of their heads and into their subjective hearts? To feel and experience God?)
"So women don't need the priesthood," he said, "because their mission is so beautiful in the church anyway." (Which includes having male babies and manipulating some of them into being priests.)
This special relationship, the theologian said, is essentially related to Jesus' maleness. (Guess where this thought is going....)
"I remember once a contemplative nun told me, 'oh, wouldn't it be horrible if Jesus were a woman?' And it dawned on me that, for a woman, the access to Jesus in prayer is easier than for us men, because he's male," Father Giertych said. "The relationship of love, of attachment, the spousal relationship to Christ is easier for the woman." (And of course by this reasoning, also for gay men, but in the end is actually a reason for women's ordination.)
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Well, I am edified if somewhat confused. If women have an easier time relating to Jesus in a spousal role why wouldn't that be an asset for ordination in representing the entire Church as the Bride of Christ? It would certainly seem to be an asset for a gay priest. Hmmmmm is that why we have so many gay priests? Given this kind of theology, and the fact the Holy Spirit is precluded from calling women priests, is this why He calls forth so many gay priests? Is that why the Roman Catholic Church frequently comes across as homoerotic because we are all trying to squeeze ourselves into some sort of erotic relationship with Jesus? What's wrong with Buddy Jesus?
I can't seriously imagine that Fr Giertych actually believes this stuff. Unless he really is so naive he can't see the logical end conclusion of his thinking, and this would by definition imply he is cogitating in an unmanly illogical way. Perhaps he should stick to pondering the maintenance issues in the papal household and stay out of theological issues. Or maybe we need to throw out all this 'spousal thinking' when it comes to the theology of the priesthood.
I do however agree that women do tend to be far better at the spiritual stuff than men. Why that isn't seen as a positive trait for sacramental leadership is beyond me. The logic of banning women from the priesthood while admitting they have a better grasp of the spiritual is apparently beyond this poor female brain to figure out.
