1994-05-22 · Vatican City

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis: On Reserving Priesthood to Men

In 1994, Pope John Paul II issued Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, declaring that the Catholic Church has no authority to ordain women to the priesthood and that this teaching is to be definitively held by all the faithful.

The question of women's ordination had been growing louder since the 1970s. The Anglican Communion had begun ordaining women in 1976. Feminist theologians argued that excluding women from the priesthood was a matter of historical discrimination, not divine will. Many Catholics, particularly in North America and Western Europe, agreed. In 1976, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had issued Inter Insigniores, which argued that the Church cannot ordain women because Christ chose only men as apostles and the priest acts in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) in a way that requires a male. The document was detailed but did not claim to settle the question permanently. John Paul II did. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was remarkably short — barely four pages. It reviewed the scriptural and traditional evidence, noted that the Eastern Orthodox shared the same position, and then declared: '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 faithful.' The key word was 'authority.' The pope was not saying the Church had decided against ordaining women. He was saying the Church lacked the power to do so, because Christ's choice of male apostles was not a cultural accommodation but a deliberate act binding on the Church for all time. The following year, the CDF clarified that this teaching had been taught infallibly by the ordinary universal magisterium. Reaction was sharp. Supporters said the pope had done what needed doing — ending a debate that was causing confusion. Critics said he had shut down discussion on a question that deserved more dialogue. The teaching remains in place and continues to generate strong feelings on all sides.

Why it matters

Declared definitively that the Catholic Church lacks authority to ordain women to the priesthood, closing formal debate on the question and affirming the teaching as belonging to the deposit of faith.