Who decides?!

Just heard a story on the Fox Report with Shepherd Smith about women priests. He set up the piece by correspondent Anita Vogel by saying it was about women who want to be priests in the Catholic Church, and threw out the tease ‘Is it time for the Church to change the rules? We report, you decide.’

No, you don’t decide. And the Church has held, by teaching and tradition, that it cannot “change the rules” on the male priesthood.

The Anita Vogel report showed women holding a quiet protest outside the church, and she said they were protesting because “the priest celebrating inside…is a woman.” Correction, the woman carrying out a ritual inside the church was not a priest. She was pretending to be.

She reported that these women who want so badly to be priests know they face ‘the warning of excommunication for being ordained’ and then she went on to report about those who were ‘ordained’ anyway. Correction, they weren’t ordained. They carried out a ritual pretending to be ordained.

This went on for a little while longer, with more of same.

Here’s just one explanation on the Church’s teaching on the male priesthood, and I like it in particular because it quotes Sr. Sara Butler. She used to be one of the most renowned voices calling for women’s ordination. Then she more closely studied what the Church taught about that, and why, and she saw the truth and beauty of that teaching and embraced it. Now she’s a renowned theologian, and was one of the first two women theologians to be named to the International Theological Commission by the Vatican. She still serves on that Commission, and still clarifies Church teaching on the priesthood.

Here’s what Pope John Paul II wrote to explain and uphold that teaching.

And here’s one of the documents that convinced Sr. Sara Butler of the authenticity of the teaching.

Trouble for some people is, you have to want to know, and take the time to learn. And that takes a little longer than a few minutes of catchy soundbites.