| Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, |
Venerabiles Fratres in Episcopatu! |
| §1 Priestly ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches. |
§1 Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, per quam munus traditur, quod Christus Apostolis suis concredidit fideles docendi, sanctificandi et regendi, in Ecclesia Catholica inde ab initio semper solis viris reservata est. Quam traditionem Ecclesiae etiam Orientales fideliter retinuerunt. |
| When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church." |
Quando quaestio orta est de ordinatione mulierum apud Communionem Anglicanam, Summus Pontifex Paulus VI, pro sua fidelitate erga officium custodiendi Traditionem apostolicam, atque etiam ut novum impedimentum positum in itinere ad unitatem christianorum amoveret, fratres Anglicanos commonefecit de Ecclesiae Catholicae positione: “Ipsa retinet non esse admittendam ordinationem mulierum ad sacerdotium ob rationes fundamentales. Quae rationes complectuntur: exemplum Christi in Sacra Scriptura memoratum, qui tantummodo inter viros elegit suos Apostolos; constantem Ecclesiae usum, quae Christum imitata est in solis viris eligendis; eiusque vivum magisterium, quod congruenter statuit mulierum exclusionem a sacerdotio convenire cum consilio Dei pro sua Ecclesia”. |
| But since the question had also become the subject of debate among theologians and in certain Catholic circles, Paul VI directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to set forth and expound the teaching of the Church on this matter. This was done through the Declaration Inter Insigniores, which the Supreme Pontiff approved and ordered to be published. |
Cum tamen etiam inter theologos atque in aliquibus catholicis circulis quaestio in controversiam deducta esset, Paulus VI Congregationi pro Doctrina Fidei mandavit ut de hoc argumento Ecclesiae doctrinam exponeret atque illustraret. Quod factum est per Declarationem “Inter Insigniores”, quam ipse Summus Pontifex approbavit et publici iuris fieri iussit |
| §2 The Declaration recalls and explains the fundamental reasons for this teaching, reasons expounded by Paul VI, and concludes that the Church "does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination." To these fundamental reasons the document adds other theological reasons which illustrate the appropriateness of the divine provision, and it also shows clearly that Christ's way of acting did not proceed from sociological or cultural motives peculiar to his time. As Paul VI later explained: "The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology-thereafter always followed by the Church's Tradition- Christ established things in this way."
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§2 Quae quidem Declaratio huius doctrinae rationes fundamentales, a Paulo VI propositas, repetit et explicat, atque concludit Ecclesiam “auctoritatem sibi non agnoscere admittendi mulieres ad sacerdotalem ordinationem” Talibus rationibus fundamentalibus idem documentum alias addit rationes theologicas quibus convenientia illustratur illius consilii divini, et etiam aperte ostendit Christi agendi modum non ex causis sociologicis vel culturalibus, illius aetatis propriis, proficisci. Sicut deinde Paulus VI explicavit, “ratio vera in eo est, quod Christus, Ecclesiam propria fundamentali constitutione propriaque anthropologia theologica instruendo, sic statuit, quam deinceps eiusdem Ecclesiae Traditio semper observavit”. |
| In the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, I myself wrote in this regard: "In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with which, in all his behavior, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time."
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In Epistula Apostolica “Mulieris Dignitatem” Nos Ipsi de hac materia scripsimus: “Advocans solos viros uti Apostolos suos Christus sese ratione gessit prorsus libera suique iuris. Eadem istud libertate fecit, qua toto in vitae suae instituto dignitatem extulit mulieris vocationemque, non tamen accommodans se vigentibus moribus ac traditionibus lege illius temporis constitutis”. |
| In fact the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles attest that this call was made in accordance with God's eternal plan; Christ chose those whom he willed (cf. Mk 3:13-14; Jn 6:70), and he did so in union with the Father, "through the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:2), after having spent the night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12). Therefore, in granting admission to the ministerial priesthood, the Church has always acknowledged as a perennial norm her Lord's way of acting in choosing the twelve men whom he made the foundation of his Church (cf. Rv 21:14). These men did not in fact receive only a function which could thereafter be exercised by any member of the Church; rather they were specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself (cf. Mt 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk 3:13-16; 16:14-15). The Apostles did the same when they chose fellow workers who would succeed them in their ministry. Also included in this choice were those who, throughout the time of the Church, would carry on the Apostles' mission of representing Christ the Lord and Redeemer.
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Evangelia enim et Actus Apostolorum testificantur hanc vocationem factam esse secundum aeternum Dei consilium: Christus elegit quos voluit ipse (Marc. 3, 13-14; Io. 6, 70), idque fecit una cum Patre, “per Spiritum Sanctum” (Act. 1, 2), postquam pernoctaverat in oratione (Luc. 6, 12). Quapropter in admissione ad sacerdotium ministeriale , Ecclesia semper tamquam constantem normam agnovit Domini sui agendi rationem in duodecim virorum electione, quos Ipse posuit Ecclesiae suae fundamentum (Apoc. 21, 13). Qui quidem non tantum munus acceperunt, quod deinde a quolibet Ecclesiae membro exerceri potuisset, sed iidem peculiariter et arte cum ipsius Verbi Incarnati missione sunt consociati (Matth. 10, 1. 7-8; 28, 16-20: Marc. 3, 13-16; 16, 14-15). Apostoli idem fecerunt cum cooperatores suos elegerunt , qui ipsis successuri erant in ministerio . Qua in electione illi quoque inclusi erant qui, decursu temporum Ecclesiae, ipsorum Apostolorum munus prosequerentur, scilicet vicem gerendi Christi Domini ac Redemptoris. |
| §3 Furthermore, the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe. |
§3 Ceterum, quod Maria Sanctissima, Dei et Ecclesiae Mater, munus non accepit Apostolorum proprium, neque sacerdotium ministeriale, clare ostendit non admissionem mulierum ad sacerdotalem ordinationem non posse minorem earum dignitatem significare nec discrimen erga eas, sed fidelem observantiam consilii, quod sapientiae Domini universi est tribuendum. |
| The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the Declaration Inter Insigniores points out, "the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church."
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Mulieris praesentia eiusque in Ecclesiae vita missioneque partes, etsi non Sunt cum sacerdotio ministeriali coniunctae, perstant tamen ratione absoluta necessariae et eae quae substitui non possint. Sicut sane ipsa illustrat Declaratio “Inter Insigniores”, “exoptat sancta Mater Ecclesia, ut christianae mulieres sibi plene consciae fiant, quanta sit ipsarum missio: partes earum hodie maximae sunt, ut simul et instauretur atque humanior fiat societas et fideles veram Ecclesiae imaginem agnoscant”
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| The New Testament and the whole history of the Church give ample evidence of the presence in the Church of women, true disciples, witnesses to Christ in the family and in society, as well as in total consecration to the service of God and of the Gospel. "By defending the dignity of women and their vocation, the Church has shown honor and gratitude for those women who-faithful to the Gospel-have shared in every age in the apostolic mission of the whole People of God. They are the holy martyrs, virgins and mothers of families, who bravely bore witness to their faith and passed on the Church's faith and tradition by bringing up their children in the spirit of the Gospel."
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Novum Testamentum cunctaque Ecclesiae historia satis superque testantur in Ecclesia praesentiam mulierum germanarum discipularum et testium Christi in familia atque in civili professione praeter quam in integra dedicatione famulatui Dei et Evangelii. “Mulieris dignitatem tutando Ecclesia eiusque vocationem honorem tribuit atque gratias iis quae, Evangelio fideles, omni aetate apostolicum communicarunt totius Dei Populi munus. De martyribus sanctis agitur et de virginibus ac de matribus familias fortiter quae fidem sunt testificatae ac suis educandis liberis in Evangelii principiis fidem tradiderunt Ecclesiaeque traditionem” |
| Moreover, it is to the holiness of the faithful that the hierarchical structure of the Church is totally ordered. For this reason, the Declaration Inter Insigniores recalls: "the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (cf. 1 Cor 12 and 13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints."
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Ceterum ad fidelium sanctitatem funditus ordinatur hierarchica Ecclesiae constitutio. Ideo memorat Declaratio “Inter Insigniores”, “unum charisma melius, quod quis aemulari potest ac debet, est caritas (1 Cor. 13, 12-13). Maiores in Regno caelorum non sunt ministri, sed sancti” |
| §4 Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force. |
§4 Quamvis doctrina de ordinatione sacerdotali viris tantum reservanda constanti et universali Ecclesiae Traditione servetur atque Magisterio in recentioribus documentis firmiter doceatur, temporibus tamen nostris diversis in partibus disputabilis habetur, aut etiam Ecclesiae sententiae non admittendi mulieres ad ordinationem illam vis mere disciplinaris tribuitur. |
| Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful. |
Ut igitur omne dubium auferatur circa rem magni momenti, quae ad ipsam Ecclesiae divinam constitutionem pertinet, virtute ministerii Nostri confirmandi fratres (Luc. 22, 32), declaramus Ecclesiam facultatem nullatenus habere ordinationem sacerdotalem mulieribus conferendi, hancque sententiam ab omnibus Ecclesiae fidelibus esse definitive tenendam. |
| Invoking an abundance of divine assistance upon you, venerable brothers, and upon all the faithful, I impart my apostolic blessing. |
In vos omnes, Venerabiles Fratres, atque in omnem Christianum populum implorantes perpetuum divinum praesidium, libentes quidem omnibus Apostolicam Benedictionem impertimus. |
| From the Vatican, on May 22, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 1994, the sixteenth of my Pontificate. |
Ex Aedibus Vaticanis, die XXII mensis maii, in Sollemnitate Pentecostes, anno MCMXCIV, sexto decimo Pontificatus Nostri. |