In his latest book, Pope
Benedict XVI reaffirmed that the church has "no authority" to ordain
women as priests and rejected the idea that the rule was formed only
because the church originated in a patriarchal society.
The pope said that man did not produce the form of the church, and does
not have the power to change it. Christ gave the form of the priesthood
when he chose his male Apostles, he said in the book-interview, "Light
of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times."
"The church has 'no authority' to ordain women. The point is not that we
are saying we don't want to, but that we can't," he said. This requires
obedience by Catholics today, he added.
"This obedience may be arduous in today's situation, but it is important
precisely for the church to show that we are not a regime based on
arbitrary rule. We cannot do what we want," the pope said.
In the book, the pope responded to the argument that ordination was
restricted to men only because priestesses would have been unthinkable
2,000 years ago.
"That is nonsense, since the world was full of priestesses at the time,"
the pope answered. "All religions had their priestesses, and the
astonishing thing was actually that they were absent from the community
of Jesus Christ."
The pope said there can be no question of discrimination in the church because women perform so many meaningful functions.
"Women have so eminent a significance that in many respects they shape
the image of the church more than men do," he said, noting famous
religious figures such as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
SIC: CNS/INT'L
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