If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
by Susan Bones
As a Catholic, my Church often comes under fire for various reasons. It’s perhaps the denomination people feel most comfortable taking pot-shots at.
The most popular critique seems to be the child molestation scandals that have occurred in nearly every parish. It goes without saying, that this is a very real problem for the Catholic Church and I am appalled by the actions of some priests.
But there is one criticism that I do have to refute: Women Priests.
It’s one that I hear often, bandied around in the pub often by people who don’t know much about Christianity, aside from what they were taught in Primary School. Allow me to explain.
Now, in Church, the Priest is supposed to represent Christ himself. The Priest is there to teach, to guide, to celebrate God – just as Jesus did. He must be entirely related to Christ. The congregation are the flocks of people who gathered to hear the famous Sermon on the Mount or listen to the parables he told. So in order for the Priest to best reflect Christ, to create the most accurate mirror image, he must be a man.
Not only was Christ a man, but so were all the ‘main characters’, if you like, in the Bible. All his disciples were men. God is a man. All of the prophets were men. Heck, even all the books of the Bible are named after men. If you can name any women in the Bible apart from Eve and Mary, then I’ll eat my hat. The entire text, the entire religion, places an emphasis on men. I understand that it’s a knee-jerk 21st Century reaction to cry out ‘sexism’ here, but really it’s just about upholding tradition. It’s about trying to practise religion and live my life as Jesus and those around him did.
All of this is not to say that women cannot have a meaningful role in the church. Of course, they can. To say otherwise would be ridiculous. But they don’t have to be priests. There are much more spiritual roles, informal roles, and more practical roles that women can take up.
What is rather irksome is that this idea of women priests has become something of a political football. My view is mocked as sexist or outdated by those who don't know what they are talking about. Of course, not all Catholics think as I do – we are not a monolith.
More than that, there are much bigger issues to focus on. From Brexit to Trump to paying this month’s rent, there are so many other problems to worry about. The fact that I insist on being preached to by a bloke really shouldn’t be your top priority.
