Let's clear the air:
- The greatest human being who ever lived was a woman (Mary).
- Women were the first witnesses to the Resurrection.
- Women sustain the Church today.
So why can't they be priests? St. John Paul II declared in 1994 (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis) that the Church has no authority to ordain women. It's not that she won't; it's that she can't.
1. Jesus Chose Men
Jesus was a revolutionary. He broke every social norm — He spoke to Samaritan women, forgave adulteresses, and had female disciples. If He wanted female Apostles, He would have chosen His Mother. He didn't. He chose 12 men. The Church cannot change what Christ established.
2. The Priest is the "Groom" (Icon)
The Mass is a Wedding Feast. Jesus is the Bridegroom; the Church is the Bride. The priest acts In Persona Christi (In the Person of Christ). He stands in for the Groom. Just as a man cannot be a "Bride" and a woman cannot be a "Groom" in a marriage, a woman cannot image the Bridegroom sacramentally. To put a woman in the role of the Bridegroom changes the symbolism of the Mass from a Wedding to something else.
3. Priesthood is Paternity
We call him "Father" for a reason. Priesthood is spiritual fatherhood. Just as a father in a family provides, protects, and feeds, the priest feeds his spiritual family with the Eucharist. You cannot have "Spiritual Mothers" be Fathers (they are Nuns/Sisters!).
Different roles, equal dignity. Learn more about the genius of women in the Church on the MyPrayerTower app.