Pope John Paul II Forbids Ordination of Women
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events: 1900-2001
- Categories: Women’s Issues, Religion, Ethics
- Subcategories: Priests, Ministers, Clergy, Gender Issues, Sexism, Catholic Church, Catholics, Popes, Papacy, Cardinals
- Curriculum: Women’s History, Italian History, 20th & 21st Century European History, Worldwide
- Geographical Location: Vatican City
- Date: May 30, 1994
Article abstract: In a significant setback to women in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II issued an apostolic letter to bishops that ruled out any possibility of the ordination of women as priests.
The Decision Against Women as Priests
In his apostolic letter “On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone,” issued on May 30, 1994, Pope John Paul II definitively proclaimed that Roman Catholic women could not be priests. Although he was prepared to allow altar girls as well as altar boys, the pope saw women as inherently unqualified for...
[The entire page is 959 words long]
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