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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

WAS POPE JOHN PAUL'S 1994 STATEMENT ON WOMEN'S ORDINATION "EX CATHEDRA?" NO, NO! NO!




Is this Apostolic Letter from Pope John Paul II in 1994 an Ex Cathedra Infallible statement of the Extraordinary Magisterium of the Church?
APOSTOLIC LETTER
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOPS
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ON RESERVING PRIESTLY ORDINATION
TO MEN ALONE


Read the following and find out why it simply reiterates what the Ordinary Magisterium of the Church has held definitely as infallible and then go study your catechism for the difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary Magisterium.

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (Latin for On Ordination to the Priesthood) is an Apostolic Letter issued from the Vatican by Pope John Paul II on 22 May 1994, whereby the Pope expounds the teaching of the Catholic Church's position requiring "the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone." In its clear proclamation that "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women," it has resulted in a significant amount of controversy since its release, although official understanding is that this letter is supposed to end controversy.
Drawing from an earlier Vatican document, "Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood" issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in October 1976, Pope John Paul explains the official Roman Catholic understanding that the priesthood is a special role specially set out by Jesus when he chose a dozen men out of his group of male and female followers. Pope John Paul notes that Jesus chose the Twelve[1] after a night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12) and that the Apostles themselves were careful in the choice of their successors. The priesthood is "specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself."[2]
The letter concludes with the words:
Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of Our ministry of confirming the brethren.[3] We declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful. (Declaramus Ecclesiam facultatem nullatenus habere ordinationem sacerdotalem mulieribus conferendi, hancque sententiam ab omnibus Ecclesiae fidelibus esse definitive tenendam.)
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was not issued under the extraordinary papal magisterium as an ex cathedra statement, and so is not considered infallible in itself. Its contents are, however, considered infallible under the ordinary magisterium, as this doctrine has been held consistently by the Church. In a responsum ad dubium (reply to a doubt) explicitly approved by Pope John Paul II and dated October 1995, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the teaching of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis had been "set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium" and accordingly was "to be held definitively, as belonging to the deposit of faith".[4][5]
In 1998, this was clarified slightly in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's Doctrinal Commentary on Ad Tuendam Fidem[6] to state that the teaching of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was not taught as being divinely revealed, although it might someday be so taught in the future:
A similar process can be observed in the more recent teaching regarding the doctrine that priestly ordination is reserved only to men. The Supreme Pontiff, while not wishing to proceed to a dogmatic definition, intended to reaffirm that this doctrine is to be held definitively, since, founded on the written Word of God, constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. As the prior example illustrates, this does not foreclose the possibility that, in the future, the consciousness of the Church might progress to the point where this teaching could be defined as a doctrine to be believed as divinely revealed.

21 comments:

Paul M. Young said...

Father, how would the statement have been presented, had it been Ex Cathedra?

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

It has to be clearly stated as an act of the "Extraordinary Magisterium of the Pope" or "Ex Cathedra." But let me be clear, because it is already taught in the Ordinary Magisterium by implication I don't think it needs an Extraordinary defining, but I realize that progressives won't stop their push until it is defined in the Extraordinary Magisterium.

Paul M. Young said...

Sorry, I would not have asked my initial question, but for some reason, the rest of your post--the part the explained what I inquired about--didn't show up the first time I viewed the entry.

Gene said...

This women's ordination nonsense needs to be squashed with a strong, definitive, and final statement from the Pope. If women want a special calling, they can try cooking and raising kids. That hasn't been done in a while...

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

Paul, I thought you had commented quickly, but in fact I hit publish before I had finished the post and had to quickly edit and complete! :)

Marc said...

pin: Pope Blessed John Paul II's pronouncement here is pretty "strong, definitive, and final." The progressives just refuse to read it for what it is. There's nothing the Pope can say that can force these people to listen. Heck, they don't care what the Pope says, anyway!

Rood Screen said...

I don't think it would matter to entrenched dissenters whether this was from the ordinary or extraordinary magisterium. As a bishop in Great Falls-Billings might put it, "the pope notwithstanding".

Gene said...

Marc, I guess you are right...sigh...

Fr. Shelton, "the Pope notwithstanding"...yeah, that about says it all about these folks.

Henry Edwards said...

From Ordinatio Sacerdotalis:

"Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."

Plainly, this is a definitive declaration by the Vicar of Christ on Earth. Does someone not know what "infallible" means?

Gene said...

There are a couple of things these women seek...one is attention. I mean, let's face it none of them will ever have to spend a lot of time dodging the photographers from Vogue or Mademoiselle magazines. Most of them are also crazy, and crazies demand a lot of attention.

The other thing they seek is, well...perhaps it is best symbolized by the staff being weilded by the woman in the first picture. Sigmund, we hardly knew ye...

Anonymous said...

But it is that way now. Even it might change, until it does there is no ordination for women. It's almost like they aren't listening.

rcg

Anonymous said...

Looks all right, sounds all right, but face it. The progressives and dissenters are closer than you think. There is a deacon not too far from you that still tells anyone who will listen that women will be ordained as priests. When will a bishop put his foot down?

Anonymous said...

A Deacon!!?!? I thought they read from scripts. Our previous priest, a good Italian boy (Hmmm) fired a deacon for something he said. It never got out but he had trouble getting this guy to toe the line and popped him. Same with the sister who ran our school. Sent her packing and suddenly we were a good school. He's gone now.

Those Italian priests, you gotta do what they say or POW!

rcg

Templar said...

I think I know the Deacon anonymous is referring to and if I'm right you can forget about his Pastor ever doing anything about it. He may even be sympathetic to him.

Anonymous said...

I'll give you a clue: It's the pastor with the Obama poster in his office.

Gene said...

It is most inappropriate for a pastor to have political posters in his office or in the Church, whether it be Ronald Reagan or Obama. Do not render to Caesar what is God's...

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

agreed!

SouthronCatholic said...

"It is most inappropriate for a pastor to have political posters in his office or in the Church, whether it be Ronald Reagan or Obama. Do not render to Caesar what is God's..." -- pinanv525

Dare I add on this and say that a nation's flag ought not be in the parish either. The parish is a house of God, kind of like an Embassy of Heaven. I believe that the only flag appropriate in the parish is the Christian flag that represents Heaven.

And for those that fly both a nation's flag and the Christian flag, the Christian flag should fly above in the place of sovereignty. God is subject to no nation here on earth.

Just my 0.02 cents

Gene said...

Southron Catholic, That is an issue with which I have struggled. I see nothing wrong with asking God to bless our nation and to guide our patriotism in a direction that is pleasing to Him. So, tastefully placing the flag in the Church in a non-dominant place (a stand in a corner, etc.) would seem to me to be acceptable if done in the proper understanding.
On the other hand, placing it in the Sanctuary,or in the front of the Church in an obvious place or hanging it on a wall is a bit overboard.
I think having the flag in the Church can be a reminder that this is a nation under God and that, try as they might, we will not allow the modernists to forget that. If placing a flag becomes a merely a "God and Country" banality or some nationalistic statement, then it is bad.

Gene said...

Those pics are more disgusting than what you would find on a porno site.

Justin Morahan said...

Of course women should be ordained priests