8.133. Why can’t women become priests? Isn’t that outdated or sexist?
This question reflects a worldly view of the priesthood as a position of power or human dignity, rather than as a divinely instituted sacrificial office rooted in the example and intention of Christ Himself. The answer from the traditional Catholic (sedevacantist) perspective is not cultural, emotional, or political—it is doctrinal, theological, and immutable.
Women cannot become priests because God Himself instituted the priesthood and chose only men to fulfill that role. This is not because women are inferior—far from it—but because the priest acts in persona Christi (“in the person of Christ”), and Christ, the eternal High Priest, became man and chose only men to represent Him at the altar.
The priesthood is not a right—it is a sacred calling with a divinely revealed structure. The Church has no authority whatsoever to change this. As Pope Leo XIII solemnly taught:
“The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.”
Even anti-pope John Paul II, though a part of the Vatican II revolution, publicly affirmed this teaching as definitive and irreversible in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (1994).
Furthermore, ordination is a sacrament that requires valid matter—just as the Eucharist requires bread and wine, the sacrament of Holy Orders requires a baptized male. Attempting to ordain a woman is not just illicit—it is invalid and sacrilegious.
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Vatican II / Modernist View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin of the Priesthood | Instituted by Christ, not subject to change | Seen as evolving or reinterpreted bythe People of God” | Doctrine cannot evolve against divine institution |
| Who May Be Ordained | Baptized males only, per apostolic tradition | Pressure to include women and “gender diversity” | Church has no power to change valid matter of a sacrament |
| In Persona Christi | Priest acts as alter Christus, a male representative of Christ | Gender seen as irrelevant; focus on “roles” and “gifts” | Christ was male for a reason; gender is not accidental to His role |
| Dignity of Women | Equal in worth; distinct in vocation and roles | Priesthood demanded as “equality” and “inclusion” | Equality does not mean sameness; roles differ by divine design |
| Example of the Saints | Mary, the greatest saint, never sought or received ordination | Modern women demand power and status in Church life | Mary’s humility is the model—not rebellion against tradition |
| Fruits | Holiness, obedience, doctrinal clarity | Division, rebellion, invalid sacraments, schism | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
The priesthood is not ours to redefine. It belongs to Christ. The Church is the guardian of divine truth, not its editor.
Women cannot be ordained priests for the same reason the Church cannot use apple juice for the Eucharist or skip baptism before communion. It’s not about power—it’s about obedience to Christ’s will and the sacramental nature of the priesthood.
To demand priestly ordination for women is not to elevate women—it is to deny the order God has established, and to repeat the sin of rebellion seen throughout Scripture.
True Catholicism honors women, not by imitation of men, but by recognizing their unique dignity, sanctity, and mission—above all as seen in the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eternal High Priest, who never claimed His priestly role, but surpassed all priests in holiness.
Further reading:
Apostolicae Curae (On the Nullity of Anglican Orders) by Pope Leo XIII (1896)