Women’s ordination – weighing up the arguments

Pic: Vatican News

I am not sure whether the US Vice-President, J. D. Vance, is taking time to read this blog series. Regardless, his advice to Pope Leo XIV — “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology” — applies all the more to me, since I cannot claim any particular depth of theological training or experience. However, I am certain of at least one thing: neither the Vice-President nor I is the Pope.

Could women serve as deacons at the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic church? (#2)

Leading Liturgists Reaffirm the Ordination of Women to the Diaconate - Public Orthodoxy

Unlike the case of priestly ordination, objections to the ordination of women to the diaconate cannot rest on apostolic precedent or on Eucharistic sacramental symbolism. This raises the question of what, precisely, distinguishes a priest from a deacon within the catholic apostolic tradition—Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican.

Could women serve as deacons at the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic church? (#1)

Picture:  Codex Barberini gr. 336 (780 AD) with the opening of the ordination rite for women deacons

Let us set aside the question of the priesthood for the moment – I will return to it later. Today, I want to focus instead on the office and function of the diaconate within the Church’s three‑fold clerical order of deacon, priest, and bishop.

Sufficient evidence?

The lie detector machine

Sunday 3 May 2026

Acts 6:1-7 Psalm 33(32)

1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12

There are two questions I consider this Sunday: the how of belief and the so what of belief. 

 

Lectio Divina:*

Meditatio:

‘Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.’   (John 14:11)

 Commentary:

How do we know that God exists—and does it matter?

Joining the dawn chorus

I managed to get up reasonably early this morning (for a retired gentleman, that is) to inspect the world of nature outside before joining the monks for Lauds. The sun was rising and the birds were singing. Another day was in the offering.

Across the world, millions are already on the move in so many time zones - to and from schools and workplaces, hospitals and holiday destinations, visits both joyful and necessary. Millions more are still wrapped in sleep or waiting anxiously in some residential institution or place of care. Some, having no shelter, have passed the night beneath the open sky. Some live in constant terror of drones, missiles or violence.  Today is a wholly new day, rich with possibilities and marked also by challenges, hopes, and anxieties.

Signs pointing beyond themselves

The first thing that strikes you on entering the public church of the Monastery of the Holy Cross is the water font immediately to the left of the entrance. Above it hangs a simple metal sign inscribed with the words: “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”—a direct quotation from Ephesians 4:5. Before a single word is spoken, the church proclaims the fundamental unity of Christian life grounded in baptism.

Moving into the body of the church, your eye is drawn in an unbroken line toward the altar, the true centre and focal point of the entire space. As you approach, you notice that the altar rises a little from a large circular base, solidly grounded and yet visually expansive. What immediately struck me was its resemblance to the Eucharistic host—one form composed of many parts. It called to mind Saint Paul’s words:

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:17)

More please

 Sunday 26 April 2026

 Lectio Divina:*

Acts 2:36-41 Psalm 23(22)

1 Peter 2:20-25 John 10:1-10

Meditatio:

‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’   (John 10:1-10)

Secret places

It took nearly fifteen years before I discovered a small secret within the monastery where I was staying. Just beside the monastic church there is a room: enter by its door and you find yourself in a sacred space where the Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved for adoration and private prayer, and, when the need arises, for the celebration of the Eucharist by small groups.

To be able to take time to enter such a space and simply be still is a real privilege. Today, churches are often locked in the evenings and sometimes even during the day. As a result, it can be difficult to find both the time and the space for a true “heart‑to‑heart” conversation with the Blessed Trinity in the presence of the reserved Blessed Sacrament.

Eucharistic hospitality

Eighteen years ago, very early on a cold February morning, I first arrived at the doors of Holy Cross Abbey, the Benedictine monastery nestled at the head of the Kilbroney Valley just outside Rostrevor, “where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.” Apart from a two‑year interruption during the Covid era, I have returned every year since.

What strikes me on each visit is, first of all, the magnificent beauty of the natural surroundings, and also the abbey’s quiet witness as a place of reconciliation and unity on an island with a deeply troubled history. From the grounds one can look across the border into the South, with the Cooley Mountains rising in the distance.

Seen but not heard? (#4)

A modern icon or Aghia Magdalini or Saint Mary Magdalene by Alexandra Kaouki in her workshop in Rethymnon (Photograph © Alexandra Kaouki)

Saint Paul is often blamed for attitudes that appear to relegate women to a wholly passive or subordinate role within society, the household, and the Church. One of the key passages cited in support of this view comes from his First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:33–35):

Equal but different - the case for women priests #3

St Alban's Psalter

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

It seems to me that proponents of the status quo (a male‑only priesthood) and proponents of change (the inclusion of women in ordained ministry) are often talking past one another. Those who defend the current practice tend to rely on arguments from tradition, symbolism, and ecclesial order, while those calling for change focus on equality, power, and the elimination of discrimination. As a result, the debate frequently becomes polarised rather than genuinely dialogical.

What both sides generally agree on, however, is that men and women are created equally in the image of God (Genesis 1:27):

So God created humankind (’adam in the Hebrew), in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The role of cultural norms

It is clear that both Scripture and Tradition come to us expressed through particular historical and cultural contexts. The human authors and teachers through whom God chose to communicate His eternal and unchanging truth were themselves shaped by the assumptions, language and social structures of their time.

Accordingly, the ways in which believers think about God and articulate their faith are influenced by the cultural norms of the societies in which they live. It is therefore unsurprising that in biblical and New Testament times women did not occupy recognised positions of leadership in the synagogue, the Temple or the early Christian communities, although there is some evidence of women exercising significant and in certain cases possibly leading roles. This evidence will be considered later in relation to the question of the diaconate.

The case for women's ordination #1

 

First things first.  When we discuss any matter of doctrinal, moral or ecclesiastical importance we ought to seek only one thing – the Will of God. His will is above any individual including the successor of Saint Peter.  Rarely, is papal infallibility invoked in the full sense of the word (‘ex cathedra’ or ‘from the Chair’). 

A heart strangely warmed

 

It was about 8.45pm on the evening of 24th May 1738 when John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had an ‘experience’ in Aldersgate while someone read from Luther’s Preface to the Letter to the Romans.  Wesley wrote of the experience, afterwards, that, "while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

The weight of the magisterium

A third factor enters into the debate about ordination within the Roman Catholic Church.  In 1994, the saintly Pope John Paul II issued a very significant document entitled Ordinatio Sacerdotalis. He did not mince his words when he declared:

'the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women'

He went even further by declaring the following:

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) 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.

The case for a male only priesthood - based on sacramental and sexual imagery (#2)

Yesterday, I briefly considered an argument from tradition used by the Roman Catholic Church to justify the exclusion of women from ordination to the priesthood. Today, I turn to a second and more theologically complex line of reasoning: the appeal to sexual or symbolism.

In Inter Insigniores – a document of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued in 1976, the Church draws on New Testament references to the Church as a Bride (e.g 2 Corinthians11:2; Ephesians5:22-23).  Inter Insigniores extends this imagery to the ministerial priesthood, arguing that when the priest presides at the Eucharist, he represents Christ in his role as Bridegroom giving himself for his Bride, the Church.

The case for a male only priesthood - based on apostolic tradition (#1)

In today’s blog I present an initial case, grounded in apostolic tradition, for the exclusion of women from priestly ordination in the Roman Catholic Church and, by extension, in other Churches that understand themselves as catholic and apostolic. I will divide up the arguments for into three groups – apostolic tradition, sacramental imagery and magisterial authority.  In later blogs I will consider the case for changing current norms or, at least, to reconsider the position of the Church. Finally, I weigh in with my own thoughts and tentative conclusions.

Women's ordination?

The world has changed dramatically since I was born in the middle of the last century. Rapid shifts in the roles of men and women – together with major improvements in living standards, education, and workforce participation, especially for women – have reshaped society in profound ways. Assumptions that once supported fixed or subordinate roles for women in patriarchal cultures have gradually given way to greater equality, at least in the more economically prosperous parts of the world.

A pleasant surprise

 

A visit, today, to the Basilica of Saint Michael’s Cathedral in downtown Toronto happily coincided with the celebration of Mass at 12.10pm  I was pleasantly surprised to see not only a reasonably good turnout of people but also to see the presence of a large number of people I would consider to be young. My estimate is that very approximately 50% of attenders were under the age of 40. I could not help notice a queue (a line!) of 12 or so young people waiting for confession.

Why the Mass is a sacrifice

Language matters. We often assume we understand what others mean, yet theology can be especially challenging because many of its words and expressions feel far removed from the everyday language of ordinary people. The Mass, too, can seem at first glance like something distant from our day‑to‑day experience. Most children in Ireland, at least, are not familiar with the sounds, rhythms, and symbols of the Eucharist. Religious instruction in schools is uneven, and apart from the major rites of passage – First Holy Communion and Confirmation – many children have little regular or deep contact with the sacraments. At least, that is how it appears to me.

Sunday matters - an update

 

A recent family visit to Toronto offered a welcome opportunity to experience the celebration of Mass in a truly cosmopolitan and culturally diverse setting. Canada, like every nation, faces serious challenges, and the behaviour of its closest neighbour does not always make life easier. Yet Canada remains a striking example of how an extraordinary diversity of cultures can live, work, and worship together in relative harmony.

Who presides?

 

Who presides at the Eucharist? Jesus Christ does.

This is the central truth we must never lose sight of. The ordained minister acts in persona Christi—in the person of Christ, on His behalf, and also in Him and through Him. This can be difficult to accept when some ministers have gravely violated their vows and caused deep harm. But their crimes must never be confused with the sacramental action they perform. Christ is the true presider, and His work is not undone by human sin.

In the name of all creation

 

All of creation is suffering serious harm because of human greed and disordered behaviour, greatly aggravated by wars, repression, and the misuse of the gifts God has entrusted to us (refer to Laudato Si). Creation is a gift, and we are part of it. If creation “groans” as Saint Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans (8:22), then we, too, “groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies” (8:23). Our time on earth is limited, and the older we grow the closer we come to that moment when creation itself “will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (8:21).

The late Pope Francis captures the intimate bond between creation and the Eucharist in Laudato Si:

Faith and doubt - a human dialogue

 2nd Sunday of Easter - Sunday 12 April 2026

 Lectio Divina:*

Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 118(117)

1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Meditatio:

‘ Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ (John 20:29)

 Commentary:

To have faith is to trust and to entrust. It means taking a step, sometimes a leap, without full certainty. Faith does not require doubt, yet because we are limited creatures, doubt often accompanies the journey. In trusting, we hand our doubts to God, and God receives them. Simple? Yes and no. Life is rarely clear‑cut, and questions press in on every side.

A second century celebration of the Mass

 

Throughout the Easter season we repeatedly hear Gospel accounts of the Risen Jesus sharing meals with his disciples. On the road to Emmaus, for example, we read that Jesus “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them” (Luke 24:13–35). The evangelists clearly intend us to recognise in these moments the early Eucharistic life of the Christian community.

A century later, Saint Justin Martyr—born in Flavia Neapolis (modern‑day Nablus, north of Jerusalem) around the turn of the first century and martyred in Rome about AD 165—gives us one of the earliest detailed descriptions of how the Eucharist was celebrated following baptism (First Apology, 65–67). He explains that:

Silence and listening

How might our parish churches look like in 2050 #6

It seems to me that people hunger, thirst, and cry out inwardly simply to be heard — by someone, anyone, at some moment, in some way. A lack of opportunity, space, or means to be listened to lies at the heart of many personal and societal wounds. We carry so much within us, and often we do not even know the half of it.

The new passover

 

Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist #4

Picking up again on the Jewish roots of the Christian Eucharist the author, Brant Pitre, draws together several themes that have echoed through the Easter Triduum:

• The once‑for‑all sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday – the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
• The meal of the Last Supper, where Jesus gives his Body and Blood “for you and for many.”
• The proclamation of a new covenant, sealed in Christ’s blood.
• The liberation of God’s people on the night of the Pasch or Passover.
• The real presence of God among His people, made sacramentally present in the Eucharist.

Mass crawling

 

A particular item screened on RTE television caught my attention the other day.  It featured three ‘lads’ who, instead of the traditional pub crawl at Christmas, went on a ‘Mass crawl’ beginning in November 2024.  They have managed to visit and attend the Holy Mass in over 50 places across counties Wicklow, Kildare, Carlow and further afield.  Make you want you wish from the item here. In the telling of the story I thought that were something decisively Emmaus-like (Luke 24:13-35) about this Eucharistic journey. They went as ‘two or three’ (Matthew 18:20) and not three separate individuals.  Was it a case of their thinking ‘Were not our hearts burning within us?’. 

Easter changes everything

 

Pic: Moira Lynott

Easter Sunday 5 April 2026

[see, also, Blog for Easter Saturday- Where O Death is your sting?]

Meditatio:

‘ but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead’ (Acts 10:40-41)

 Commentary: It was early in the morning - cold and dark. Something extraordinary awaited the two disciples. The Gospels differ in detail, but they agree on the essential truth: the tomb was empty, and Jesus, who had truly died, had truly risen. There was no CCTV, no forensic reconstruction, no modern reporting. What we have is the testimony of those who saw, heard, touched, and were changed. And that testimony has carried the Church for two thousand years.

Where O death is your sting?

Holy Saturday

Yesterday, there was a funeral in a local church. Someone remarked of the deceased, “It was nice to be buried on the same day as Jesus was.” True. And, death comes for each of us. But it is not the end. What marks us out as a people set apart is our conviction that Jesus truly rose from the dead and is risen still. We believe what the world often dismisses as fanciful. We hope for what many have long abandoned. Even now, in this “valley of tears,” we live in the gift of eternal light. The darkness is overcome by the Light of Christ.

As we reflect today on the Lord’s Passion, we wait with joyful expectation for the spark that will be lit at the Easter Vigil this evening. We can hardly wait for sunset, when we will taste and sense the joy of the Risen One on this holiest of nights. From a single flame, light will spread from candle to candle. We hear the Deacon or priest sing out the  great Exsultet which includes the following verses:

This is the night when Jesus Christ
broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

And again:

Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honour of God.
Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night.

Whether just after sunset or just before, this is the moment we have been waiting for. Our song is one of triumph over death. Death does not have the last word. In our Easter Eucharist we proclaim Christ crucified and risen. He is in our midst, and we rejoice.

Some day the Easter candle lit on the previous Easter will be lit for our passing from this world.

Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Why is there no mass today?

 Good Friday.

There is only one day in the entire year when the Roman Catholic Church does not celebrate Mass. At first this may seem surprising. If Good Friday commemorates the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, why would the Church refrain from celebrating the Eucharist, especially since:

‘For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes’. (1 Cor 11:26) 

A threefold gift

 

Holy Thursday

The Easter Triduum opens with Holy Thursday. According to Catholic tradition — shared by Orthodox Christians and many high‑church Anglicans — this first day of the Triduum reveals a threefold gift at the heart of Christian life:

Waiting for the heavenly bread

 Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist #3

In the time of Jesus — as in every age — the Jewish people lived in hope. Many longed for a Messiah who would come in glory to liberate Israel: a prophet like Moses who would renew the covenant, lead the people forward, and even bring once more the manna from heaven. Some expected a royal figure who would reign over the nation and subdue its enemies.