Fr. Roger J. Landry
Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, MA
Chaplain’s Chat Series on Controversial and Often Misunderstood Issues in Catholicism Series
April 2001
To download a PDF of the lecture, please click below:
All Male Priesthood and the Dignity of Women
Outline of the Lecture
I. Introduction
II. Why is Ordination reserved to baptized men?
A. Christ’s Example of Sacred Scripture
B. The constant practice of the Church in imitation of Christ
C. The constant living teaching of the Magisterium
D. Possible Objections to the teaching
E. Further reflections
III. Why is there mandatory priestly celibacy in the Roman Rite?
A. Discipline, not doctrine
B. Concise position of the Church
C. More developed reasons from Vatican II
D. Attitude of the Priest and Faithful toward Priestly Celibacy
E. Possible objections to the Church’s practice
IV. Is the dignity of woman in the Church lessened by her exclusion from the ordained ministry?
A. Mulieris Dignitatem
B. Equal dignity of women to men in the Church
C. The apostolic mission of women
D. Holiness is much more important than hierarchy