Is it something to do with some "magical quality" that the male body possesses?
I can give you the Catholic answer. In Catholic theology, men and women are equal in dignity, but they are not the same. They were created for different roles. Unlike contemporary American culture, in Catholicism equal does not mean the same.
Not all religious leaders are priests. When the laity leaves all of the religious leadership to its priesthood, when it leaves all of its theological and doctrinal growth to clerical theologians, it is a sign that the laity has lost sight of Catholic belief, not that it is embracing it. We are all called to be a priestly people. The primary role of religious leadership within the Catholic Church is parenthood. Parents are the first catechists and the first religious guides. And women, due to their more intimate relationship with their children through childbirth and physically nourishing fulfill this role in an exceptional sense.
And, always remember, St. Catherine rebuked the Pope.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-04-09 03:01 pm (UTC)I can give you the Catholic answer. In Catholic theology, men and women are equal in dignity, but they are not the same. They were created for different roles. Unlike contemporary American culture, in Catholicism equal does not mean the same.
Not all religious leaders are priests. When the laity leaves all of the religious leadership to its priesthood, when it leaves all of its theological and doctrinal growth to clerical theologians, it is a sign that the laity has lost sight of Catholic belief, not that it is embracing it. We are all called to be a priestly people. The primary role of religious leadership within the Catholic Church is parenthood. Parents are the first catechists and the first religious guides. And women, due to their more intimate relationship with their children through childbirth and physically nourishing fulfill this role in an exceptional sense.
And, always remember, St. Catherine rebuked the Pope.