The Fight for the Ordination of Women in the Roman Catholic Church

It is a well-known fact that women of the Catholic Church have been excluded from holding important leadership roles throughout history. While the more subordinate women of the early Catholic Church once accepted this view, Catholic women around the world are now challenging it. Multiple secular and religious influences over the last few decades have empowered women to find their voice and speak out against this long-standing tradition of discrimination (Henold 15). Despite all of the debate and the shortage of priests, the Catholic Church has not waivered in its belief against the ordination of women into priesthood. To gain a better understanding of this debate, one must examine the history and aspirations of the Catholic feminist movement, as well as the reasoning behind the church’s decision to uphold this long- standing tradition.

In the early days of the Catholic Church, strict guidelines were placed on women to ensure that they were pure, domestic, and submissive. They were expected to conform to the model of the “eternal woman” by giving up any personal desires and surrendering themselves to God (Henold 25). This ideal woman was portrayed in a publication called The Eternal Women, which was written in 1934 by a German historian by the name of Gertrud von Le Fort (Henold 26). Le Fort expressed that women were assigned the duty of sacrifice, and while men had to sacrifice as well, it was not in their nature. It was expected that a woman must surrender to her husband in all aspects of life, including decisions pertaining to child bearing (Henold 27). She used the Virgin Mary as an example of surrender, by explaining that Mary surrendered herself to God when accepting her role as the mother of Jesus (Henold 27). ...

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...ntinue fighting for equal rights even when faced with excommunication. The Vatican issued a statement in May of 2008 saying that all women priests and the bishops who ordained them would be excommunicated (“Roman Catholic”). Despite countless threats to supporters, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests is gaining support as they continue to ordain women into priesthood and establish congregations around the globe.

It is difficult to predict what the future holds for the women of the Catholic Church. Although they have found success in some areas in their fight for equality, the Vatican has remained consistent in its refusal to allow the ordination of women into priesthood even into the present day. It is evident that no matter what decisions are made in the future, this will continue be a topic of constant debate and tension in the Catholic Church.