“If modern feminists truly knew the fundamental values Catholic priests are called to embrace…”

The other day I read about another dreadfully misguided and spiritually dangerous fraud perpetrated in North Carolina, another fake “ordination” of a woman.   Women, of course, cannot every be ordained to any of the Holy Orders (that includes diaconate).  A thousands male bishops with the laying on of hands chant prayers over a woman for a thousands days and yet the effect would only be fatigue and a pressed down hairdoo.

There is a good piece at the National Catholic Register which you might peruse about feminism.  Here’s a snip:

Feminism and the Catholic Priesthood: What’s the Root of the Matter?

Although three popes (St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis) have declared women’s ordination to be impossible, this attack on the sacramental priesthood and the fullness of the Catholic faith simply refuses to die. Earlier this year, 11 German priests from the Cologne Archdiocese wrote an open letter urging the Church to open the priesthood to women.

In February the Italian Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica questioned whether St. John Paul II’s statement against women’s ordination is a binding statement of the Church’s magisterium. [NB: It’s a Jesuit journal… undermining the Magisterium of St. John Paul II.]

And just Sunday, a schismatic group “ordained” a woman to the Catholic priesthood in Charlotte, North Carolina. A spokesman for the diocese reminded the faithful of the Church’s teaching on the sacrament of holy orders.

Meanwhile, faithful Catholics are frequently called to defend the Church against charges like: “Why does the Church hate women so much?” And “Why won’t the Church let women be equal?”

Such loaded questions, which come from a highly sophisticated propaganda campaign against the Church, are designed to be unanswerable. They fall into the category of: “Have you stopped beating your wife?”

The entire question is based on a fantasy. The notion that women should be “allowed” to be priests is rooted in a radical misunderstanding of both feminism and the priesthood.

To answer such questions accurately as Catholics, we need to get radical. At their very foundations, feminism and the call to the Catholic priesthood are so diametrically opposed that the male priesthood isn’t even a feminist issue!

The word “radical” comes from the Latin radix, which means “root.” To be “radical,” then, is to return to the roots of things.

If modern feminists truly knew the fundamental values Catholic priests are called to embrace — and how deeply those values clash with their own — they would never covet the sacramental priesthood. On the contrary, they would flee from the office as from fire.

Let’s consider the roots of feminism alongside the roots of the priesthood to see how deeply the two differ.

[…]

The next paragraph starts with the loathsome Betty Friedan.

A lot of women have lied to a lot of women.

Speaking of the loathsome Betty Friedan, may I recommend a book that describes her awful influence?   I often recommend Benjamin Wiker’s outstanding 10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn’t Help.

US HERE – UK HERE

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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16 Comments

  1. Ocampa says:

    With a title like that, it’s hard to resist. I told myself “no new books for the next six months” (to catch up on a back-log that’s longer than six months). This crosses into my “I’ll buy it to donate to the library but read it myself first” loophole.

  2. bushboar says:

    “Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”

    – Pope St. John Paul II

    If that is not clear enough, then nothing will be, and these Cafeteria Ladies (as I call them) will continue to be “ordained” and excommunicated.

  3. To borrow Evelyn Waugh’s words, this is all “great bosh.” Here’s why.

    Over the past few years, in which this series of “womenpriest” “ordinations” has occurred in various places, I’ve noticed how, with breathless excitement the N”C”R (aka “Fishwrap”) and other sympathetic journals have reported on this subject. And the Fishwrap and other folks all claim to be very serious journals, right? And this business of ordained ministry is awfully serious, isn’t it? How often do we hear about how much power clergy have, and how they can easily misuse it; and they must be held accountable, right? It’s about finance, and safe care of children, and being “pastoral,” right?

    So where is the N”C”R’s curiosity about things like:

    – Where are these women “priests” trained? How extensive and thorough is their training?
    – What pastoral assignments do they accept? How is this determined? What is going on with that?
    – To what extent are these “priests” in compliance with existing norms for child protection?
    – How are things going in the parishes or “communities” where these women are exercising their so-called ministry?

    Is it not strange that, once these publications report on these “ordinations,” they apparently lose all interest in these individuals? Why is this?

  4. Catharine in Aurora says:

    Jesus Christ, unlike Pontius Pilate, had no human respect whatsoever.
    If He wanted women to be ordained as priests, He would have picked 6 males and 6 females.
    Since the priest is married to the Church, and the Church is female, what on earth does that make a woman priest?!

  5. Ocampa says:

    Catharine in Aurora,

    Likely that argument will hold no sway over liberals. “Oh, that mean’s she’s in a lesbian marriage with the Church. That’s all.”

    A lesbian church bears no children, except for…well, I better stop this metaphor here.

  6. Andrew D says:

    The late, great, Phyllis Schlafly was a friend of mine. Phyllis had a real talent with taking feminist dogma and dissecting it into the nonsensical tripe it really is. She was also a devout Catholic who prayed the Rosary daily. Some of her books I highly recommend on feminism are: “Feminist Fantasies,” “The Supremacists” and “The Power of the Christian Woman.” Oh and if you ever wondered why you didn’t see Phyllis on talk shows much after she defeated the ERA in the early 80s, there’s a reason… Phyllis always defeated the feminists in televised debates, clearly irritating liberal television show hosts like Phil Donahue. The media, which is largely controlled by the feminists, and now the sodomites and their offspring, the trannies, knew that if they gave air time to Phyllis, the American people would catch on and laugh off feminism forever.

  7. jaykay says:

    Catherine in Aurora: “If He wanted women to be ordained as priests, He would have picked 6 males and 6 females.”

    Or even – or especially – His Mother. And the other Holy Women who, as we never cease to hear from certain quarters, stood by Him in extremis. Which they of course did. Funny that St. John never seems to be mentioned in that regard, of course. Of course.

    Meh. No new thing under the sun.

  8. Imrahil says:

    Jesus Christ, unlike Pontius Pilate, had no human respect whatsoever.

    I see what you’re saying and agree, but still, the statement sounds a bit awkward :-)

  9. frjim4321 says:

    I’ve worked with at least two women in ministry who are strong proponents of an inclusive presbyterate, I’ve also attended a mass at which a CWP was the sole presider. [At least you applied “presider” correctly here. Otherwise… why on earth would you willingly attend such a SACRILEGE?]
    IMHO, none of these three were or are very well suited for ministry. The two that I worked with were always so obsessed with their various agenda items that they never really got any real work done; and the priest [NO.]
    , during her homily (which was a funeral), spoke only about the importance of having women priests; very little about the deceased, and nothing at all about the paschal mystery. So, to that extent, I agree with some of this.

    All that being said, however, it’s also true that many women who serve in ministry, including many who are necessarily proponents of an inclusive presbyterate, possess many of the charisms and characteristics that we would associate with the priesthood. [Except a really important one.]
    At the same time, there seems to be many XY people who, having been ordained, do a fairly poor job embracing the “fundamental values” described. [It has ever been so, and yet that is how the Lord wanted it.]

  10. frjim4321 says:

    Oh yeah, one of those first two went on to become a bishop.

    I’m not sure how a person who can’t even run a PSR program at a suburban parish can run a diocese.

  11. Absit invidia says:

    From where I stand as a layman, women for the priesthood is all about pride and none about sacrifice. The complete opposite of the Christian calling.

  12. johnwmstevens says:

    So, quick question: Is there a mantra or formula that must be recited in order for a Papal statement to be taken as infallible?

    Pope St. John Paul II’s statement on the matter sounds like an infallible one to me. Am I missing something?

  13. frjim4321 says:

    [At least you applied “presider” correctly here. Otherwise… why on earth would you willingly attend such a SACRILEGE?]

    Funeral of a family member.

    I did not go to communion, nor did my parents, by my sister did.

  14. Nemo Incognito says:

    If you can access Dr. Peter Kreeft’s website, he has a wonderful discourse called (and I’m sure I’m gonna get this slightly wrong): “Why Women Cannot Be Daddies.” In a word, the argument front the progressive side is simply, “Well, why not?!” From the traditional side, he enumerates the arguments for the Church’s immutable teaching. A good listen!

  15. hwriggles4 says:

    A good secular book I read years ago was Women who Make the World Worse by Kate O’Bierne. There are some interesting observations on the Armed Forces (i.e. pros and cons of integration and deployments) and Title IX, which although did some good for women’s collegiate sports, it had some falling outs, particularly with wrestling, gymnastics, and swimming. The book also discusses Hillary Clinton, Jane Fonda, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. As a man, it was an interesting read, and discusses major differences between men and women.

  16. FrAnt says:

    Women priests is a case of “if you say it often enough it will become true.” That might work in this world, but it never does in the next. Honestly, the subject is old and tired.

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