inclusion in the priesthood
Letter to the Editor
I am writing in response to Chris DesBarres letter in the Friday, Dec. 1. The Observer "Questioning Papal Infallibility."
Papal Infallability is probably the most misunderstood doctrine of the Catholic Church. Most people believe that it says the Pope can never be wrong in any of his teachings. This is incorrect.
The Pope is only infallable when speaking ex cathedra on matters of faith and morals, with the Council of Bishops. In fact, since the doctrine was formally instated in 1870, it has only been used twice: once, to formalize the teaching of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the other time, the Assumption. So far, no Pope has made an infallable statement on the ordination of women.
I believe that the Church should accept women as priests; the fact that Jesus chose only men as apostles can be interpreted as a pragmatic decision. In those days, men did not see women as equals and would, most likely, never have accepted women as leaders or teachers. Now that women's social status is closer to men's, there seems to be no reason to exclude them from the priesthood.
David Shepard
freshman
Keenan Hall
December 1, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Monday, December 4, 2000
