Kan kvinnliga präster komma att tillåtas i Katolska Kyrkan?

För mig är den primära frågan kring kvinnliga präster om Kyrkan har fattat ett slutgiltigt, dogmatiskt beslut i frågan. Har Hon gjort det så framstår allt tyckande i frågan möjligen intressant, men ovidkommande. Har Hon däremot inte tagit ställning slutgiltigt så är det också meningsfullt att fortsätta att föra dialoger kring frågan och försöka påverka Kyrkan i den riktning som var och en finner bäst överensstämmer med sin uppfattning och sitt samvete.

Så frågan som jag skall försöka besvara i det här inlägget är: Är Kyrkans lära i fråga om kvinnliga präster öppen för debatt, eller är det en avslutad fråga, därför att Kyrkans nuvarande lära är ofelbar och slutgiltig?

Det är uppenbart att det är Kyrkan vi måste vända oss till för att få svaret.

(Läs mer…)

1976 publicerade CDF (troskongregationen) dokumentet Inter Insigniores, som sammanfattade vad Kyrkan kommit fram till efter att grundligt ha gått igenom frågan. En rapport från bibelkommissionen, som sedermera läcktes till pressen, måste i ljuset av publiceringen av Inter Insigniores ses som ett internt dokument som skulle ligga till grund för Inter Insigniores. Enligt rapporten kommer bibelkommissionen fram till att Bibeln inte ger något stöd för kvinnliga präster. Det som möjligen kan anses vara kontroversiellt med rapporten är att en majoritet av delegaterna frågar Kyrkan om hon trots det inte kunde anförtro prästämbetet åt kvinnor. Vad Kyrkan därför har haft att ta ställning till är om Traditionen kan anses öppna för en sådan möjlighet (eftersom bibeln inte kan motivera att prästämbetet anförtros åt kvinnor).

Nedan följer några valda utdrag (med mina fetmarkeringar) ur Inter Insigniores, som verkligen är rekommenderad läsning. För den som inte orkar läsa hela dokumentet eller ens mina valda citat följer en sammanfattning av dokumentet längre ner.

Ur inledningen kan vi läsa:

The various arguments capable of clarifying this important problem have been submitted to a critical examination. As we are dealing with a debate which classical theology scarcely touched upon, the current argumentation runs the risk of neglecting essential elements.

For these reasons, in execution of a mandate received from the Holy Father and echoing the declaration which he himself made in his letter of 30 November 1975,[6] the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith judges it necessary to recall that the Church, in fidelity to the example of the Lord, does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination.

Angående om Kyrkan någonsin vigt kvinnor till präster konstateras:

The Catholic Church has never felt that priestly or episcopal ordination can be validly conferred on women. A few heretical sects in the first centuries, especially Gnostic ones, entrusted the exercise of the priestly ministry to women: this innovation was immediately noted and condemned by the Fathers, who considered it as unacceptable in the Church.

Sedan fortsätter ett resonemang kring kyrkofädernas fördomar mot kvinnor. Längre ner, i avsnittet om Kristi attityd står det:

Jesus Christ did not call any woman to become part of the Twelve. If he acted in this way, it was not in order to conform to the customs of his time, for his attitude towards women was quite different from that of his milieu, and he deliberately and courageously broke with it.

Angående vad apostlarna gjorde står följande:

The apostolic community remained faithful to the attitude of Jesus towards women. Although Mary occupied a privileged place in the little circle of those gathered in the Upper Room after the Lord's Ascension (cf. Acts 1:14), it was not she who was called to enter the College of the Twelve at the time of the election that resulted in the choice of Matthias: those who were put forward were two disciples whom the Gospels do not even mention.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled them all, men and women (cf. Acts 2:1; 1:14), yet the proclamation of the fulfillment of the prophecies in Jesus was made only by "Peter and the Eleven" (Acts 2:14).

Vidare kan vi läsa:

In the Pauline Letters, exegetes of authority have noted a difference between two formulas used by the Apostle: he writes indiscriminately "my fellow workers" (Rom 16:3; Phil 4:2-3) when referring to men and women helping him in his apostolate in one way or another; but he reserves the title "God's fellow workers" (1 Cor 3:9; cf. 1 Thes 3:2) to Apollos, Timothy and himself, thus designated because they are directly set apart for the apostolic ministry and the preaching of the Word of God. In spite of the so important role played by women on the day of the Resurrection, their collaboration was not extended by Saint Paul to the official and public proclamation of the message, since this proclamation belongs exclusively to the apostolic mission.

Angående Kyrkans syn på hur den skall förhålla sig till Jesu och apostlarnas handlande kan vi bla läsa följande:

However, the Apostle's forbidding of women "to speak" in the assemblies (cf. 1 Cor 14:34-35; 1 Tim 2: 12) is of a different nature, and exegetes define its meaning in this way: Paul in no way opposes the right, which he elsewhere recognizes as possessed by women, to prophesy in the assembly (cf. 1 Cor 11:5); the prohibition solely concerns the official function of teaching in the Christian assembly. For Saint Paul this prescription is bound up with the divine plan of creation (cf. 1 Cor 11:7; Gen 2:18-24): it would be difficult to see in it the expression of a cultural fact. Nor should it be forgotten that we owe to Saint Paul one of the most vigorous texts in the New Testament on the fundamental equality of men and women, as children of God in Christ (cf. Gal 3:28). Therefore there is no reason for accusing him of prejudices against women, when we note the trust that he shows towards them and the collaboration that he asks of them in his apostolate.
[...]
As Pope Pius XII recalled: "The Church has no power over the substance of the sacraments, that is to say, over what Christ the Lord, as the sources of Revelation bear witness, determined should be maintained in the sacramental sign".
[...]
When she judges that she cannot accept certain changes, it is because she knows that she is bound by Christ's manner of acting.
[...]
This practice of the Church therefore has a normative character: in the fact of conferring priestly ordination only on men, it is a question of an unbroken tradition throughout the history of the Church, universal in the East and in the West, and alert to repress abuses immediately. This norm, based on Christ's example, has been and is still observed because it is considered to conform to God's plan for his Church.

Vidare kan vi läsa:

The Church's constant teaching, repeated and clarified by the Second Vatican Council and again recalled by the 1971 Synod of Bishops and by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in its Declaration of 24 June 1973, declares that the bishop or the priest, in the exercise of his ministry, does not act in his own name, "in persona propria:" he represents Christ, who acts through him: "the priest truly acts in the place of Christ", as Saint Cyprian already wrote in the third century.
[...]
"Sacramental signs", says Saint Thomas, "represent what they signify by natural resemblance".[19] The same natural resemblance is required for persons as for things: when Christ's role in the Eucharist is to be expressed sacramentally, there would not be this "natural resemblance" which must exist between Christ and his minister if the role of Christ were not taken by a man: in such a case it would be difficult to see in the minister the image of Christ. For Christ himself was and remains a man.

Christ is of course the firstborn of all humanity, of women as well as men: the unity which he re-established after sin is such that there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus (cf. Gal 3:28). Nevertheless, the Incarnation of the Word took place according to the male sex: this is indeed a question of fact, and this fact, while not implying an alleged natural superiority of man over woman, cannot be disassociated from the economy of salvation: it is, indeed, in harmony with the entirety of God's plan as God himself has revealed it, and of which the mystery of the Covenant is the nucleus.
[...]
If one does justice to these reflections, one will better understand how well-founded is the basis of the Church's practice; and one will conclude that the controversies raised in our days over the ordination of women are for all Christians a pressing invitation to meditate on the mystery of the Church, to study in greater detail the meaning of the episcopate and the priesthood, and to rediscover the real and pre-eminent place of the priest in the community of the baptized, of which he indeed forms part but from which he is distinguished because, in the actions that call for the character of ordination, for the community he is—with all the effectiveness proper to the sacraments—the image and symbol of Christ himself who calls, forgives, and accomplishes the sacrifice of the Covenant.

I den avslutande delen står det:

The pastoral charge in the Church is normally linked to the sacrament of Order: it is not a simple government, comparable to the modes of authority found in States. It is not granted by people's spontaneous choice: even when it involves designation through election, it is the laying on of hands and the prayer of the successors of the Apostles which guarantee God's choice; and it is the Holy Spirit, given by ordination, who grants participation in the ruling power of the Supreme Pastor, Christ (cf. Acts 20:28). It is a charge of service and love: "If you love me, feed my sheep" (cf. Jn 21:15-17).
[...]
The priesthood is not conferred for the honour or advantage of the recipient, but for the service of God and the Church; it is the object of a specific and totally gratuitous vocation: "You did not choose me, no, I chose you, and I commissioned you. . . " (Jn 15:16; cf. Heb 5:4).

It is sometimes said and written in books and periodicals that some women feel that they have a vocation to the priesthood. Such an attraction, however noble and understandable, still does not suffice for a genuine vocation. In fact a vocation can not be reduced to a mere personal attraction, which can remain purely subjective. Since the priesthood is a particular ministry of which the Church has received the charge and the control, authentication by the Church is indispensable here and is a constitutive part of the vocation: Christ chose "those he wanted" (Mk:13). On the other hand, there is a universal vocation of all the baptized to the exercise of the royal priesthood by offering their lives to God and by giving witness for his praise.

Women who express a desire for the ministerial priesthood are doubtless motivated by the desire to serve Christ and the Church. And it is not surprising that, at a time when they are becoming more aware of the discriminations to which they have been subject, they should desire the ministerial priesthood itself. But it must not be forgotten that the priesthood does not form part of the rights of the individual, but stems from the economy of the mystery of Christ and the Church. The priestly office cannot become the goal of social advancement; no merely human progress of society or of the individual can of itself give access to it: it is of another order.

It therefore remains for us to meditate more deeply on the nature of the real equality of the baptized which is one of the great affirmations of Christianity: equality is in no way identity, for the Church is a differentiated body, in which each individual has his or her role. The roles are distinct, and must not be confused; they do not favour the superiority of some vis-a-vis the others, nor do they provide an excuse for jealousy; the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (cf. 1 Cor 12-13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints.

The Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance, both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church.

För att sammanfatta så inleds dokumentet med att konstatera att det inte är möjligt för Kyrkan att viga kvinnliga präster, och heller aldrig kommer att bli det. Sedan följer en motivering för varför.

Eftersom detta uppenbarligen inte räckte för att övertyga en del katoliker om att Kyrkan redan hade undersökt frågan och kommit fram till att det inte är möjligt att ändra sin praxis i fråga om vigning av präster skrev påven Johannes Paulus II Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, ett kort apostoliskt brev som avslutas med följande två stycken (varav det andra är flitigt citerat, min fetmarkering):

Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) 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 Church's faithful.

Efter detta brevs publicering uppstod frågan om detta var ett ofelbart utlåtande från påven. CDF svarade med följande klargörande (med orginalets fetmarkeringar och kursiveringar):

Responsum ad Dubium Concerning the Teaching Contained in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

Dubium: Whether the teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, which is presented in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to be held definitively, is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith.

Responsum: In the affirmative.

This teaching requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written Word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium 25, 2). Thus, in the present circumstances, the Roman Pontiff, exercising his proper office of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32), has handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration, explicitly stating what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as belonging to the deposit of the faith.

Tillsammans med detta klargörande publicerades också ett längre utlåtande som lite mer lägger ut orden kring detta korta svar.

En invändning som framförts mot Kyrkans ställningstagande är att det i själva verket inte är en lärofråga utan bara en ordningsfråga, och det därmed inte kan få ett slutgiltigt svar. Påven skrev i Ordinatio Sacerdotalis:

at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) 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 Church's faithful.

Som bekräftelse på detta kommer sedan CDF med sitt Respondum ad Dubium som bl a säger följande:
"This teaching requires definitive assent"
"it has been set forth infallibly"
"[it] is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as belonging to the deposit of the faith"

I ljuset av påvens kommentar om att vissa anser att det skulle röra sig om en ordningsfråga och troskongregationens svar på dubium så måste denna inställning anses vara felaktig, om vi skall tro på Kyrkan.

Avslutning

Så, efter att ha läst igenom de mest centrala av de skrivelser som behandlat frågan om kvinnliga präster sedan andra vatikankoncilliet så kan jag konstatera att det inte råder någon tvekan om läget. Brevet Ordinatio Sacerdotalis var inte i sig ett ofelbart utlåtande, utan upprepade bara en redan ofelbar och slugiltig lära. Det som upprepades och åsyftades i brevet är bindande och denna lära kommer inte att ändras.

the Roman Pontiff, exercising his proper office of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32), has handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration, explicitly stating what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as belonging to the deposit of the faith.

Det slås också fast att denna lära är fastslagen av "the ordinary and universal Magisterium", vilket är nödvändigt för att det skall kunna röra sig om en ofelbar lära. Angående Kyrkans ofelbara läror kan vi bl a läsa följande:

Those who claim that the Magisterium never errs on matters of faith or morals are contradicting the teaching of the Magisterium itself, which limits infallibility to very specific criteria under Papal Infallibility, the solemn definitions of Ecumenical Councils, and the Ordinary Universal Magisterium. All other teachings of the Magisterium proper fall under its ordinary non-infallible teaching authority. The most common way that the successors of Peter and the successors of other Apostles teach is under the Ordinary Magisterium.

En utläggning kring frågan om påven personligen eller Kyrkan överhuvudtaget har möjlighet att ändra den befintliga sakramentsläran kring ämbetets sakrament finns här.

Jag förstår att detta kan upplevas som väldigt svårt att acceptera för dem som verkligen är för kvinnliga präster. Det finns dock inget utrymme kvar för tvivel för dem som tror på att Kyrkan är ofelbar. I detta fall fanns det inget behov av att deklarera denna sanning som en dogm eftersom det redan var en ofelbar lära som Kyrkan troget hållit sig till ända sedan sin tillblivelse.

Följdaktligen anser jag att frågan om att viga kvinnor till präster är en icke-fråga för katoliker. Därmed blir det enligt mitt sätt att se det också meningslöst att ägna sig åt hårklyverier och vilda spekulationer i frågan, eftersom det inte kan leda till annat än splittring, frustration och ett avståndstagande från Kyrkan.

Alla de som fortfarande tvivlar på om Kyrkan tagit slutgiltigt ställning uppmanar jag att läsa vad Kyrkan har haft att säga om saken.

Detta inlägg är en marginellt omarbetad version av ett inlägg tidigare publicerat på Ave Maris Stella och behandlar frågan om kvinnliga präster i katolska kyrkan. För den intresserade finns det en lång diskussion om det tidigare publicerade inlägget att ta del av.

Allt gott!