Milestone Details
NACATHS HOLDS HER FIRST SYMPOSIUM
Reported By Christopher AREWA
The question of whether or not women should be ordained as priests has been a trending debate in the Roman Catholic Church. Regarding this, the Nigeria Association of Catholic Theologians, St. Albert the Great Major Seminary chapter held a symposium on Thursday, 23rd November, 2023 to discuss whether women should be ordained priests or not. Beginning their arguments from the historical point of view, the presenters traced the priesthood back to its origins in the Jewish tradition. They advanced their arguments to Catholic theology, noting that women were never ordained priest in the history of the Jewish tradition. Furthermore, they noted that based on the example of Jesus’ choice of Apostles, the character and requirements for ordination and Apostolic tradition, the office of the Sacred Priesthood is reserved for men only.
They stressed that the agitation for the ordination of women is fostered mainly by the Women Ordination Conference (W.O.C) established in the 1970s, yet, amidst the various agitations and arguments for women ordination, the Church, so far, holds that it is impossible to ordain women into the priesthood.
