Review article
Documents of the Catholic Church on the ecumenical issue of women’s ordination and their theological-ecumenical analysis
Dušan Moro
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Split
Abstract
The ordination of women for priestesses and bishopresses,
started by some Churches and church communities emerging
from the Reformation and its heritage, has recently become
one of the central issues of Ecumenical Movement. This trend
is firmly opposed by the doctrine and practice of the Catholic
Church and the whole Orthodoxy. They mainly rely and refer
to triple argumentation: to Christ’s example and vocation, as
well as to the mission of the Twelve and their successors (the
argument from Scripture); to Tradition as an important and
unavoidable factor of life, Church doctrine and Church practice
(the argument of Tradition); and to the centuries-old theological
and magisterial justification of that issue (the argument of
Magisterium). The article brings authentic teaching of the Catholic
Church expressed in the Declaration of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, from 1976, and in the Apostolic Letter of
Pope John Paul II from 1994.
In the second part, in a short theological analysis, the
emphasis is put on the ecumenical aspect of that problem, and
also on searching for a broader agreement and understanding
of central themes, such as: Tradition, correct interpretation
(hermeneutics) of Tradition, and the needs and adaptability
of church ministry in contemporary conditions and needs in
particular Churches.
Keywords
apostolic succession; ecumenism; Tradition; Magisterium; priesthood; woman in Church
Hrčak ID:
92415
URI
Publication date:
21.11.2012.
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