In the Roman Catholic church, males are the only gender allowed to become priests. Women can become nuns and work as leaders in other ways, however for many women this is not enough.
An international reform movement called, “Roman Catholic Women Priests” are taking a stand to allow females to have the same rights as men in the church setting. This organization performs masses, carries out marriages and gives the eucharist dressed in priestly attire. However, this is not allowed by the Vatican, and women taking part in these ceremonies are excommunicated.
The women do not believe this is just. I interviewed a female priest who did not wish to be named who says, “When I was studying theology, there was so many bright, capable young women that had that door shut to them, and the church is out beating the bushes to get priests. So give your head a shake, there’s something here that doesn’t fit.”
This topic is extremely debatable, however recent Popes have shut down the issue and do not seem to be changing their minds. Other Christian religions, who are similar in value to Catholicism have ordained female priests already. Dean of Theology at Huron, Tom Townshed is Anglican and in the Anglican faith they have ordained females for many years. He says,”it’s a normal feature here [at Huron College], more than half of our students… in the last few decades have been women…Most things couldn’t happen well without them involved as leaders.”
Watch the bishop’s delegate from the Diocese of London, Fr. John Comiskey, state the Roman Catholic opinion on the organization here:
