Women will never be allowed to be priests in the Catholic Church, says Pope Francis
The long-standing rule against the ordination of women in the Catholic Church will likely last forever, according to Pope Francis.
During a news conference on the way to Rome on Nov. 1, a reporter asked the pope whether it is possible for the Church to have female priests in the future, noting that he was hosted by a woman who heads her own church during his visit in Sweden.
The pope responded by saying that the matter has been settled by Pope John Paul II in 1994 when he said that women cannot be ordained because Jesus only chose men as his apostles.
"Really? Never?" the reporter asked. "If one carefully reads the declaration of St John Paul, it goes in that direction, yes," the pope replied.
In an Apostolic letter in 1994, Pope John Paul II wrote: "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, 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."
The Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) expressed disappointment regarding Pope Francis' remarks. The group argued that the Apostolic letter known as "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis" is outdated and fallible, aiming to diminish the leadership and vocations of women.
The organization suggested that Pope Francis should have relied on the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Commission concluded in 1976 which stated that there is no valid theological and scriptural argument against the ordination of women.
The group claimed that archaeological and historical documents are available to prove that women took leadership roles in the early church. It added that Jesus himself accepted women as his equal and many believers overwhelmingly support women's ordination.
WOC stated that it will not accept "never ever" as an option and will continue to work towards the equality of women in the Catholic Church.
