Bishop Emil A. Wcela makes the case for expanding the diaconate to include women (America Media)

Can women receive sacred orders? Let us consult several authoritative sources. Canon 1024 of the Code of Canon Law states, “A baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly.” In 1994 Pope John Paul II said, “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.” And the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has weighed in on the issue more than once. A statement in 1995 read, “This teaching requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written word of God and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium.” And in 2010 the doctrinal congregation stated, “both the one who attempts to confer sacred ordination on a woman, and she who attempts to receive sacred ordination incur a latae sententiae [automatic] excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.” And so the issue is settled.

Or is it?

Continue Reading at America, The Jesuit Review

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Witness
“A highlight for many present was the Scripture reflection offered by a female parishioner who specifically spoke about her experience as a minister in the Church. At St. William, communal leadership and ministry are a central part of our community’s identity and values.”
St. William Catholic Community
Louisville, KY
Witness
“I have always viewed my ministry through this lens – out of service for and to the people of God. My intention was and is never to center myself in my ministry as a lay leader, rather my focus was always on how I could better uplift others in our midst. The Holy Spirit has certainly been active in the communities where I have ministered.”
Sr. Janet M. Peterworth, OSU
Community Leader, Pastoral Caregiver, Writer, Louisville, KY
Witness
“The mission of Discerning Deacons is important because they are advocating for a larger role for women in the Church, which is hard to do. Discerning Deacons is unafraid to get their hands dirty to bring about a more inclusive Church for women.”
Devon James
College Campus Minister, Cincinnati, OH

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