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.

This shared foundation is significant. If men and women are equal in dignity before God, and if — as St Paul writes — equality in Christ transcends inherited divisions:

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

then questions about ordination cannot rest solely on appeals to hierarchy or tradition. Instead, the issue turns on deeper theological considerations: the maleness of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and the way Christ is believed to act through ordained ministers –  particularly when presiding at the Eucharist.

If, in Christ, all are one, and if women can meaningfully and truthfully represent God in Christ, then it follows that ministry cannot be reduced to biological sex alone. Proponents of change will argue that, at the very least, gender need not be determinative of ministerial function, particularly at the altar, where the central action is sacramental rather than expressive of personal authority.

From this perspective, several important questions arise:

• If men and women are equal in Christ and equally called to holiness and witness, which ministries are – or should be –  open to women? For example, preaching, baptism, pastoral leadership, or presiding in particular sacramental contexts?
• To what extent is sacramental leadership confused with other forms of leadership – such as administration, governance, or pastoral care –  that do not necessarily depend on ordination?
• Beyond the binary question of priesthood, are there roles women can and should undertake within the liturgical and Eucharistic life of the Church that more fully reflect their baptismal vocation?

In the next reflection, I will focus on one specific dimension of this discussion: the diaconate - a recognised ministry distinct from the priesthood, with roots in the earliest apostolic communities, and one that may offer a constructive way forward in re‑imagining ministry, service, and leadership in the Church today. 

Rather than getting stuck on one question, might it be helpful to move forward by identifying points of agreement and acting on these?

In a later blog, still, I will return to the question of priesthood and give my own tentative conclusions.