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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 April 2024
The many recent discussions in the churches on the “ministry of women” have only served to reveal the sterility of the topic when considered as an end in itself, apart from the wider context in which it belongs, a context which itself needs to be re-examined: the responsibility of every member of God’s church to minister.
The arguments on women and the priesthood face a particular danger in the Roman church, where there is an unhealthy focus on priesthood, to the exclusion of every other aspect of Christian ministry. This has produced a church in which rigid conformity to the three estates—the priesthood, the “religious life”, the lay state—has blinded its members to Christ’s exhortation to every soul to seek out freedom and wholeness. The result has been a misuse of the concept of vocation. Any member of the church who gives exceptional evidence of a spiritual dimension to his life, or exhibits an interest in the workings of the institutional church is expected and channelled to go on to something higher, and this means to take a step up the hierarchical ladder which has been devised. In this way his universal Christian vocation is subsumed into a specialist vocation which the church regards as superior. Such a system fails to profit by and encourage the growth of those of its members who are permanently committed to the lay state. Most especially is this anachronistic in the modem world where education and the tools of civilisation are no longer the special charge of the church but within the grasp and gift of everybody. Such a development in the Christian world should be joyfully accepted as heralding the replacement of institutionalised and elitist knowledge by equality of opportunity and, therefore, of contribution.
1 Studies which are useful on this issue are R. Ruston, ‘Theology and Equality’, New Blackfriars, February, 1974: Martinell, M., 'Women and Ministries in the Church', The Clergy Review, LIX (Sept., 1974):Google Scholar Thils, G., ‘Annee internationale de la femme: les theologians sont interpelles’, Revue Theologique de Louvain 6 (1975) pp. 41–50CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
2 Echlin, E.P., The Deacon in the Church. Past and Future, New York (1971), 17Google Scholar.
3 See Croce, W., ‘Histoire du Diaconat’ in Le Diacre daps L ‘Eglise et le Monde d’ Aufourd' hui, Paris (1966)Google Scholar (=Unam Sanctam 59), pp. 39.40.
4 Acolyte: a messenger, he distributed alms and ministered to those in prison. Exorcist: although this office seems to have had an origin independent from the diaconate, the exorcist, in a specialised capacity, helped the bishop and deacon in their ministry to the sick. Lector: the office of lector grew with the extensive readings in the liturgy from scripture and patristic texts. In the sixth century this large number of readings was reduced to two – what we now know as epistle and gospel – and could easily be read by the deacon and sub‐deacon. Door‐keeper: an early Christian bouncer. His office derived directly from the deaconate, but was naturally abandoned when Christian assemblies were no longer secret and illicit. See Fisher, B., ‘Esquisse historique sur les ordres mineurs’, La Maison‐Dieu, 61 (1960) pp. 58–69Google Scholar; Davies, J.G., ‘Deacons, Deaconesses and the Minor Orders in the Patristic Period’, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 14 (1963) pp. 1–15CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
5 See Echlin, op. cit., pp. 102‐6.
6 Schamoni, W., Married Men as Ordained Deacons, London (1955)Google Scholar; Winninger, P., Vers un Renouveau du Diaconat, Paris (1958)Google Scholar.
7 Motu Proprio. Ministeria Quaedam, 15 August, 1972 (Acta apostolicae Sedis LXIV, August 1972, 533).
8 Cf. I Cot. 12, 4‐11.
9 See further the important work of Meer, H. van der, Women Priests in the Catholic Church?, trans. A. and Swidler, L., Philadelphia (1973). pp. 23–5Google Scholar.
10 The Tablet, 26 April, 1975.
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