I’m writing in response to a letter that appeared on March 14 written by a “Catholic” man teaching his children that the church is wrong for not ordaining women. This man can no more call himself a Catholic than a man with communist viewpoints can call himself a capitalist. If you don’t believe what the Catholic Church teaches, then you’re really not Catholic.
I respect the fact that people have their own beliefs, and I respect those beliefs as long as they’re not forced upon me.
Here is where the contradiction lies–the same people who feel that the church forces its beliefs on them are in all actuality forcing their opinion on the church. The church doesn’t force you to remain Catholic. If you can’t live with what the church teaches, then find a faith that suits you better. But don’t contaminate my faith with your false doctrine. And that’s exactly what you’re doing if you’re raising your kids as Catholics and then teaching them that it’s OK to ignore the teachings of the church.
We all have roles, which, like it or not, are directly related to what sex we are. Some are biological and more obvious to us while others are of a spiritual nature and must be seen through the eyes of faith. Does the fact that our roles are different suggest that we’re not equal? Of course not. A man and a woman play different roles in conceiving a child, but they are both equally important.
We are all equal in every way, but we are all different and are called to fill different roles as men and women. Mary, the mother of God, a woman who is held highest in the Catholic Church with the exception of God Himself, could not be a priest. You can see how absurd it is to think that this would suggest she is inferior to men. We could only dream of obtaining the holiness she’s achieved.
I could write paragraphs on the church’s reasoning for its stance on an all-male priesthood and why Catholics who don’t buy this reasoning are wrong, but basically it comes down to this. If you’re going to be Catholic you have to accept the teaching of the church even if you don’t fully understand. Christ gave Peter this teaching authority, and it’s passed down through the seat of Peter. Without this authority we are like children without the guidance and discipline of our parents. We are free to think and do whatever we want, creating a god who condones our dissent; a god we make in our own image.
The magisterium will continue to teach the dogma that the church has always taught, “whether convenient or inconvenient,” as the Bible states.
