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From: cjh@petsd.UUCP (Chris Henrich)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: discussions on Roman Catholicism
Message-ID: <446@petsd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Feb-85 18:44:39 EST
Article-I.D.: petsd.446
Posted: Wed Feb 13 18:44:39 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Feb-85 03:12:13 EST
References: <1311@bbncca.ARPA>, <3598@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Organization: Perkin-Elmer DSG, Tinton Falls, N.J.
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[]
	The Apostles have traditionally been regarded as the
first priests *and* the first bishops...  If Mary Magdalen was
an Apostle, then the strongest argument of principle against
ordaining women to the priesthood falls to the ground.
	Not that it was very strong.
	My first thought is that the character of Mary
Magdalen is somewhat of a composite in most people's minds.
Consider the following characters in the gospels:
	the woman "taken in adultery;"
	the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob's Well;
	the woman who broke a vial of perfume, poured it over
		Jesus' feet, and dried them with her hair;
	"the other Mary" who watched at the Cross;
	Mary Magdalen, who saw the risen Christ in the Garden.
Don't they all contribute to our idea of Mary Magdalen?   How
sure are we that any subset of these were the same woman? And
there may be others; for some reason the manuals near my
terminal do not include a New Testament, so I am going by
memory.  The statement that Mary Magdalen was a reformed
prostitute comes, I think, from later, non-canonical
"Gospels."  All of this, to me, seems a shaky basis for
anything like a juridical precedent.

	The issue, shall women be ordained priests, cannot be
settled by precedent, because it was never asked until
recently.  We do have to settle it, and we are on our own.
Speaking as a lay Catholic, I can see no reason of principle
against it.  I do understand that, as a practical step, it
would be very complex, and would upset many. (Including many
intelligent and devout women.)  People are *very* conservative
about religious practices.  Look at the tumult over such
things as the vernacular Mass - a trifling change by
comparison.

Regards,
Chris

--
Full-Name:  Christopher J. Henrich
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