Four Catholic Women ordained priests in Catonsville, Maryland – Catholic Church promises excommunication
An ordination is the process by which a person is consecrated, or set apart as clergy. Only men, due to cultural exclusions and theological belief, have traditionally fulfilled this sacrament. Recently, however, a firestorm of controversy has swarmed the Catholic tradition due to the fact that women are not recognized as candidates for priesthood. Most recently, on June 4th. 2011, four Catholic women took vows as priests at a Protestant Church in Catonsville, Maryland. Bishop Andrea Johnson ordained the four women at St. John’s United Church of Christ in front of family members and friends.
In 2007, the Vatican produced a decree stating that women who attempted ordination, along with the priest who tried to ordain her, would be excommunicated from the church. This decree was revised stating the same regulations again in 2008. In addition, Pope John Paul II stated that, “the church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women”. These four women knowingly went against the Vatican in order to fulfill their overwhelmingly desire to spread the word of God, but is their decision the correct one to make since it goes against their Church?
Ordinations, or the process by which a person is consecrated, are typically done in May and June within the Catholic Church. The three types of Ordinations performed within the Catholic Church include bishop, priest and deacon.
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