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Opinion

Vatican: still no girls allowed

Christian Palmer
Opinion Columnist 

Over the past few weeks, it seems peoples' beliefs have been shoved onto a dimly lit stage as our current state of affairs has taken a turn toward the spiritual end of the spectrum -- not that it's a bad thing. Belief is the one thing that will certainly awaken worldwide passion and panic, as evidenced by recent bombings, shootings and threats of excommunication. 

For the past two millennia, the Christian religion has come in and out of style, relaxing and kicking it up a notch as times has gone by. The Roman Catholic Church has also maintained a strict all-male priesthood since its conception. Now, in a new millennium where more societies than ever consider men and women equal, American women are seeking acceptance to the diocese at the risk of being excommunicated from the very religion to which they're hoping to devote their lives.

The only thing the Vatican has on these would-be female priests and deacons is 2,000 years of tradition. Times are changing, and polls by the Associated Press/Ipsos indicate the majority of Catholics say they have nothing against ordination of women. 

"We need to claim for women their equal right with men to be ordained," Patricia Fresen, one of the women hoping to be ordained, said last year at a conference on women in the church. "And we need to do this contra legem to break an unjust law and yet to remain firmly within the church."

And nothing's more American than civil disobedience.

Opponents, of course, will pull out their trusty Bibles and list the apostles, making sure you understand they're all men. Their opponents, in turn, will pull out their trusty Bibles and point to the leading ladies Mary and Mary Magdalene, making sure you understand their importance, notably Mary's role in carrying and producing the son of God. 

Women's roles in the church aren't limited to two representatives 2,000 years ago, though. Have you ever heard the joke about the man who goes fishing and brings home some fish and says he did the hard part -- all his wife has to do is clean it, scale it, cut it and cook it? We shouldn't go so far as to say that while the men are busy being the face and naughty hands of the religion, women are in the back doing the daily work, making the daily bread and raising their children to be good Catholics.

Women seeking higher power in the Catholic Church have been called many things, including a threat to church unity and invalid, but the women themselves said "priesthood" made them closer to their religion and that they would still lead people to the church. It's not like they're aiming to create their own church.

Also, the Catholic Church is in no position to be turning away otherwise perfect candidates for the position during a clergy deficiency. If the little boys don't want to be priests anymore, understandably, let the little girls take over. 

But then again, some feel they have to do things a certain way and no other. Such is the way of higher authorities.

Palmer, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at pogsandjello@gmail.com