110 Why Did Christ Ordain Only Men As Priests?

Pope St. John Paul II wrote “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” (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 4). In today’s episode we look more in depth into why the Catholic Church does not have the authority to ordain women to the priesthood.

- Find more about the topics discussed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #891, #1572-1578, 1598.

- You can read Pope St. John Paul II decree on not receiving women for the Priestly Ordination: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html

- Letter of November 30, 1975, by Pope St. Paul VI, to the Archbishop of Canterbury clarifying that the Church cannot ordain women to the priesthood for “truly fundamental reasons” (3^rd paragraph): https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/letters/1975/documents/hf_p-vi_let_19751130_arc-canterbury.html

- Declaration from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith “Inter Insigniores” explaining in detail why the Church cannot ordain women to the priesthood: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19761015_inter-insigniores_en.html

- An example of an (unintentional) “invalid” sacrament in the Archdiocese of Detroit and how it was solved: https://www.aod.org/announcements-newsroom/newsroom/2020/august/archdiocese-of-detroit-to-rectify-invalid-sacraments-in-response-to-vatican-note

- A 2007 invalid ordination of women to the priesthood in St. Louis: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/12081/st-louis-archbishop-excommunicates-three-for-attempted-womens-ordination

- Fr. Patrick Wainwright is a priest of Miles Christi, a Catholic Religious Order.

- Visit the Miles Christi Religious Order website: https://www.mileschristi.org  

- This Podcast’s Website: https://www.forcollegecatholics.org  

- To learn about the Spiritual Exercises (silent weekend retreat) preached by the Priests of Miles Christi, visit: https://www.mileschristi.org/spiritual-exercises/  

- Recorded at our Family Center in South Lyon, Michigan.

- Planning, recording, editing, and publishing by Fr. Patrick Wainwright, MC.

- Gear: Shure MV7 USB dynamic microphone

- Intro music from pond5.com