Misogyny has been rampant in the Church since the Council of Nicea so that's not a big surprise. But that this last misogynistic decree should come from Levada's hands reaches new heights in hypocrisy. Rome sure has her priorities straight!

This is a sad action by a church that long ago lost the respect and obedience of most of its followers. For example, what percentage of Catholic women have never been on some form of birth control?

The leaders of the church are really out of touch with reality, and there's little chance their misguided directives and threats will change much in the next 50 years.

Jack - The Church has the right to define these matters for Herself without checking in with an obscure blogger for approval. You, like many in Portland, want the Catholic church to reflect your political views. It doesn't on a lot of matters, sorry. Just admit you left the church a long time ago and give it a rest. Its tiresome reading to your attacks on the Catholic Church, but you're part of a long history in Oregon of anti-Catholicism - including the KKK.

I haven't left the church. I am still a Catholic. I was baptized, confirmed and still go to Mass. Does that rob me of the ability to have an opinion about how backward and archaic (and frankly non-biblical if you consider the entire bible, not just those chapters approved by the Council of Nicea) is the idea that women cannot be priests?

The institutions of the Church of Rome are both hidebound and exclusively male. The failure of the Church of Rome to recognize the inherent contribution of individuals to the Church, regardless of gender, and further recognize that the ability to minister as priests, yes, priests, is not confined to those with male equipment is a sad commentary that the advances advocated by Pope John XXIII have been left behind in the dust.

Not a member of the KKK. Not anti-Catholic.

Pope John XXIII advocated women priests? That's a new one. Nice job inventing facts to fit your political theory. If I'm wrong show me the quote.

Protestants believe in the doctrine of sola scriputura Catholics don't btw.

Non-leftist, you make assertions that are totally untrue and unsubstantiated. What caused you to charge that Jack has links with the KKK? That is absurd. You are the one who is inventing facts - and you're not very good at it. Obviously you are a self-hating Catholic who is not quite smart enough to think beyond the dogma that you've been taught.

I don't believe that I said that Pope John XXIII advocated for women priests. What I said (if you had bothered to consider it) was that the advances advocated by Vatican II have been left in the dust. Vatican II under the direction of Pope John XXIII realized that THE CHURCH OF ROME was out of touch with the majority of the Catholic faithful it purported to serve. Hence the change of the Mass into English, the 'turnaround' of the priest to face the people, etc.

I would have wished for the Papacy to continue to evolve with the times in the spirit of Vatican II. Some (probably you non-leftist) would have equated the VII changes as heresy as well. But if the Church is to survive, it must bring itself into the modern time, as John XXIII recognized. We have no new priests. Vocations are down. Why should women be excluded from priesthood? Because they have no penis? That is simply foolishness.

Simply because Jesus said to St. Peter that he gave him the keys to the kingdom, does not prove the point. He did not say "I give you the keys of the kingdom and only you because you are male and only to your descendents because they are male".

Mary of Magdala was not a prostitute, was one of Jesus disciples, was the one of the few brave enough to be at the foot of the cross, and (if you believe the gospels, as I'm sure you do non-leftist) the first person whom Jesus appeared to after his Resurrection.

Enough.

Nancy is right. It is self-evident that religions become captive to the prevailing cultures of their time. (Why else would Islamic radicals teach that those killed in service to Allah will be greated by 72 virgins? Or was it 27 virgins? Who cares. Obviously, this is religious dogma invented by men). To stand firm with the religion of 1600 or 2000 years ago is very often the same thing as standing firm with the culture of that time. In this case, the men who assembled the Christian bible at Constantine's directive included the works they liked (by men) and excluded the works they didn't like (some by men, and some by women). To advance religious teachings so as to be consistent with the culture of current time (for example, by ordaining women as priests) is nothing more or less than letting religion evolve as it needs to evolve to remain relevant.

Really, non-leftist, you can hardly be taken seriously on this matter.

I was a roman catholic for 60 years until I had to have major surgery. I decided to go to make a general confession in case it was my last. I had been married for thirty years and we got an anulment from Rome and a secular divorce. I continued to practice my faith. I am gay and my partner and I have been together for 26 years. the roman priest told me he would pray for me but could not forgive my sins. He hoped my partner and I would continue to attend and donate but no longer sit in the same pew. We joined the Episcopal Church, attend Mass 3 times a week and are accepted as full members. We have women priests and Bishops. Our priest are real priests, they are there when ever you need them. If a priest bother a child they are no longer a priest.