Vatican Blasted for Stance on Female Priests

(CBS/AP)  New Vatican rules for how the Roman Catholic Church responds to clerical sex abuse claims generated plenty of criticism last week for not being tough enough. At the same time, the rules also put the Vatican on the defensive for grouping pedophilia allegations with the "grave crime" of attempting to ordain women into the church.

A letter from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles sex-crime allegations, to bishops around the world represents a permanent piece of church legislation. The new rules, publicly revealed for the first time Thursday, list the attempted ordination of women as a "grave crime" subject to the same set of procedures and punishments meted out for sex abuse.

That drew immediate criticism from women's ordination groups, who said making a moral equivalent between women priests and child rapists was offensive.

"The idea that women seeking to spread the message of God somehow defiles the Eucharist reveals an antiquated, backwards church that still views women as unclean and unholy," said Erin Saiz Hanna, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference, a U.S.-based organization that works to ordain women as priests, deacons and bishops.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have said the question of ordaining women priests - often raised as an antidote to the priest shortage and to bring about more gender equality in the church - is not up for discussion.

The Vatican in 2007 issued a decree saying the attempted ordination of women would result in automatic excommunication for the woman and the priest who tries to ordain her. That is repeated in the new document, adding that the priest can also be punished by being defrocked.

At a briefing Thursday, Monsignor Charles Scicluna defended the inclusion of both sex abuse and ordination of women in the same document as a way of codifying two of the most serious canonical crimes against sacraments and morals that the congregation deals with.

"They are grave, but on different levels," he said, and noted that the document also lists crimes against the sacraments including apostasy, heresy and schism for the first time.

[texbelle123]

Waht's really sad, is that this is NOT consistant with 2000 years of church history. Even sadder is the fact that the most stringent comments here are coming from women.

Read the book, 'When Women Were Priests,' Ladies. Sorry, can't remember the author. But you might be surprised if actually educated in church history.

[rainbowroosie]

Either you believe or you don't. If you DO believe, this is consistent with 2000 years of teachings. If you don't believe, you are likely using this string to criticize Catholicism which inhibits your freedom to do whatever you damn well please...you are the hypocrite...spend your time criticizing a far more messed up religion -- for example, one that preaches suicide by bombing as a way to heaven...oh, you are AFRAID to criticize that religion...I understand.

[AttentionDeficit]

Yeah, much better to worship the spirit that knocked up the virgin

[cleric60]

rainbowroosie... These latest Vatican documents are NOT CONSISTENT with 2000 years of teachings. To place child rape by clergy and the same doctrinal level with female ordination into the priesthood is contrary to the Gospel of Christ. Where are the Church of Rome's educated theologians, has this Bishop of Rome locked them up in a prison or what????

[formrusmcsgt]

I can't understand what a woman could possibly see in the Catholic church.

Birth control sends you to hell, and that women are second class, to say the least.

Yet women participate in this tragedy....

[Mary370]

The ordination of women is a mockery of the sacraments. As a woman who does believe in equal rights even within the Church, the Woman's Priest movement is wrong. It mocks the very thing they say they love. They are creating a separate Magisterium and a separate Church. They don't represent how I think they should go about it and I think they are decieved if they think it is the right way. So, for me it is a crime against the sacraments and the Vatican is right in condemning any bishop or priest who is involved - that is what the document does.


And, Christ was a man, he prayed the Our Father - there is inherently a gender bias that cannot be overcome.

[cleric60]

I think forced clergy celibacy goes against the God given "sacrament" of Holy Marriage. God created male and female for procreation. He did not create male to be alone in an estate called celibacy priesthood.
St. Peter the first-so-called Pope was married. Priests/bishops were allowed to be married up until the 10th. century.
And God said: "It is NOT good for man to be alone!".....

[cleric60]

Interestingly, the Church of Rome, the Vatican appears to place sexual immorality/child rape on the same level as a so-called doctrinal error/practice the ordination of women.
Child rape is a violation of one of God's commandments-about sexual immorality.
Ordination of women is considered a much lesser ordinance within Scripture. "Women should not preach!"
Where are the theologians within the Church of Rome have they all be listened by the present Bishop of Rome???

[tsigili]

The Catholic Church is male domination personified.