Inter insigniores

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Inter insigniores is the title of a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the question of the admission of women to the priesthood . She was on October 15, 1976 with the license to practice medicine by Pope Paul VI. released.

background

In 1975 the Anglican Communions of England and Canada had made it possible for women to be ordained to the priesthood. Pope Paul VI felt compelled to set out the position of the Roman Catholic Church in two letters to the then Archbishop of Canterbury , Frederick Donald Coggan . At the same time he had commissioned the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to draw up a declaration in which the reasons were summarized which, from the point of view of the Church Magisterium, speak against the admission of women to priesthood .

The key argument in this declaration is: " Christ did not call a woman to be among the number of twelve." This course of action is not to be seen as an adjustment to the custom of his time, because his behavior towards women is "uniquely different from that." his environment and represents a deliberate and courageous break with it. ”Paul VI. cites several examples of this unique behavior of Jesus, such as the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, with the blood-ridden woman and with the sinner in Simon's house. Jesus also distanced himself from the law of Moses "in order to affirm the equality of rights and duties of men and women with regard to the marriage bond" (II No. 2). Not only the apostles but also women accompanied Jesus on his travels.

The purely historical exegesis of the biblical texts could not be sufficient to "understand the ultimate meaning of the mission of Jesus and that of the Scriptures". It should be recognized, however, that there are a number of converging facts here which "underscore the remarkable fact that Jesus did not entrust the commission of the twelve to women." Not even his mother was given the apostolic office. The apostles remained loyal to Christ's behavior and after the death of Judas Iscariot did not elect Mary , but a hitherto unmentioned disciple to the College of Twelve, even though the Blessed Mother played a prominent role in the early community.

This behavior of Jesus and the apostles has an enduring meaning. In contrast to disciplinary practices "of little importance" (such as the obligation imposed on women to wear a veil), the apostle Paul's prohibition on women in the "official function of teaching in the Christian congregation" was with the Creation plan and can therefore hardly be seen as an expression of the cultural conditions of that time. (II No. 4) Against the background that Paul had emphatically underlined the equality of men and women as children of God elsewhere in his letters, there was no reason "to accuse him of unfriendly prejudices against women if one observes trust, which he brings towards them, and the cooperation which he asks from them for his apostolic activity. "(II No. 4)

According to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches , priests do not act in the exercise of office in person, but in persona Christi and as his image. But if the priest is to present the work of Christ in the Eucharist , according to the Congregation, a “natural resemblance” is required. In a woman, however, one can "hardly see the image of Christ". Against the objection that there is no difference between man and woman in Christ ( Gal 3:28  EU ), the declaration states: Equality relates to the vocation to become children of God; the baptism does not confer any right to a church office. Finally, the biblical picture of the one body with many members is remembered. The different tasks “do not favor the superiority of one over the other and offer no reason for jealousy”. The declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith attributes normative power to the practice of the Church, which dates back to Christ, of ordaining only men to priests.

Ordinatio sacerdotalis

In the apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis on the ordination of John Paul II to the priesthood, which is reserved for men only , he takes up Inter insigniores in 1994 and writes: “[...] Pope Paul VI. Careful, in fidelity to his ministry, to protect the apostolic tradition, and also with the intention of avoiding a new obstacle on the path to Christian unity , was careful to remind the Anglican Brethren what the position of the Catholic Church is: She maintains that, on principle, it is not permissible to admit women to priestly ordination. These reasons include: the scriptural example of Christ who chose only men to be apostles, the Church's constant practice of imitating Christ in the exclusive election of men, and her living magisterium that insists on exclusion of women from the priesthood in accordance with God's plan for his church ”.

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