Thomas Griffin 12/11/23
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There are some things that change. But there are many that don’t.
Two of the most popular headlines revolving around the Catholic Church in the news over the past month or two have been the possibility of the Church blessing same-sex unions and the possibility of women being ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.
Some of these headlines were the result of the Synod on Synodality that took place during the month of October in Rome and some headlines were the result of comments made by Cardinals, Bishops and Pope Francis. Rather than go into the way that the American news covered these topics and reports I think it is important to simply investigate the topics themselves according to the orthodox Catholic position.
The short version of the headlines, if you have not heard about them, is that there have been some Cardinals and Bishops upset with the way that Pope Francis speaks about these two specific issues (and others). They wish that he would be more clear about Church doctrine in order to avoid breeding confusion among Catholics about the Church’s teachings.
Despite Francis’ recent and previous words about the nature of marriage as between a man and a woman there are some comments that can be taken to mean that the Church must consider specific circumstances and act accordingly.
All of the confusion has several layers that need to be addressed. First, most people and many Catholics misunderstand papal infallibility. Not everything Pope Francis, nor any pope for that matter, says is true or undeniably aligned with Catholic doctrine. Papal infallibility has only been strictly invoked twice (both times for teachings about the Blessed Virgin Mary). The Immaculate Conception in 1854 and the Assumption in 1950.
The pope is the servant of the servants of God. He is the bishop of Rome and the head of the College of Cardinals. He is the predecessor of St. Peter, the first pope, who was also a sinner and who also denied Jesus three times before his death. The pope links us with the Apostles and with the ministry of Jesus himself. The pope can invoke infallibility when he speaks very specifically on matters of faith and morals and states that he is doing so. But, the pope is not infallible in the sense that he is always right and can never be wrong.
Second, the Synod on Synodality was not a meeting that was or even can change Catholic dogma and doctrine. Synods meet to discuss how the wider Church should respond to and look at important issues of our time. It is a fact that Catholics and non-Catholics are concerned with the topics of same-sex marriage and women ordination.
Federal law protects and promotes same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church says there is no such thing and refuses to recognize nor perform rituals that would pretend that such unions are marriages. Marriage, according to God, Jesus and, therefore, the Church is between a man and a woman because marriage is physically and spiritually procreative. Procreation only comes about through an act and embrace that takes place between a man and a woman. This is not discrimination but simply a fact.
For this reason, the Church could never bless same-sex unions because it violates the truth of marriage. Truth is the conformity between one’s mind and reality. Our country has redefined truth to be whatever one makes of it and marriage to be whatever one thinks is love. But the Catholic Church cannot redefine these matters because it cannot violate the truth nor God’s command.
The ordination of women to the priesthood is also not possible. Jesus chose men as his apostles and priests. Women were a part of his inner circle but they were not made priests at the Last Supper. If Jesus is God then he cannot make mistakes and he would not (as some claim) feel the pressure of his time to go against social norms that prevented women from such an honor. Jesus went against countless social and religious norms. If he wanted to he could have done so in this arena as well but he did not.
Some note that there were deaconesses in the early church but they were not ministerial priests. Since baptisms took place through full immersion into water, women would help the other women during those baptisms and they were designated with the term deaconess which is radically different from the ordination of women.
Those who wish to change the teachings of the Church in regards to these two topics forget that men and women are equal but they are different. Even this statement is condemned in today’s world. However, all we have to do is look at the anatomy and physiology of men and women to view their differences. In fact, their difference is what allows for their complementarity. Men and women are made for each other because they are different.
Ultimately, the Catholic Church can never change these teachings because God is truth and goodness and beauty. Jesus does not make mistakes. If we wish to follow him and we disagree with these teachings could we consider the fact that maybe God is right and we are wrong?
I don’t know about you but when it comes to what is right, I think He might have the upper hand in understanding it – even if most of the world says He is wrong anyway.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine.
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