A senior Catholic bishop on Monday invoked freedom of religion in defending Pope Benedict XVI's edict banning and threatening to excommunicate women priests.Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said the reality of women priests is "nothing to cheer or jeer about" as it is a matter of "institutional beliefs and pursuant observances."
"Question: why is it that only men are ordained Priests? Answer: Because Jesus Christ Himself called only men to be His Apostles who in turn likewise has chosen only men to join them in their apostolic ministries. Notwithstanding His great love and profound admiration for His mother Mary, in spite of her sublime dignity as an individual and exalted attributions as a woman, neither Christ nor his apostles ordained the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Priestess. This is a solid and standing historical fact," Cruz said.
He added the Pope, an Ecumenical Council, the College of Cardinals, the Vatican Congregations or all of them put together, have no authority to allow women to be ordained priests.
"How could they when even Christ Himself did not!? This is why even after some 2000 years — and counting — there is no priestess in the Catholic Church. And this is certainly not because Church Authorities do not want to but rather because they may not do so," he said.
Thus, Cruz said this position does not make women in the priesthood are neither necessarily better nor worse than men in the Sacred Orders general.
What is more important and relevant specially during these trying and tempting times, he said, comes from the common cry and search for truthful, honest and upright men and women in business, industry and the government, especially in churches of different religious persuasions in the world.
He said the persona of a priestess however in the Catholic Church is neither a past, much less a present or future reality.
The fact that only men are ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in and for the Catholic Church is definitely not because women are less dignified, less gifted or competent than men, he said.
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