On December 4th, the Vatican once again declared that women cannot be ordained as deacons and that the priesthood is “definitively closed to women.” This statement, wrapped in the language of settled doctrine, is in truth neither settled nor faithful to the example of Jesus in the Gospels. It represents not a defense of tradition but a refusal to see the Divine shining through women’s lives, bodies, gifts, and Spirit-filled callings.
The deeper tragedy of this announcement is that it denies a truth at the very heart of Christianity:
Women are equal images of the Divine, created in the fullness of God’s likeness and called—like all disciples—to preach, to bless, to lead, and to serve.
For years I have written that whenever the Church denies the sacramental presence of the Holy in women, it is not women who are diminished, but the Church itself. This moment calls for clarity, courage, and a return to the actual Gospel story.
Jesus Chose Women as Proclaimers, Witnesses, and Apostles
The institution’s claim that Jesus “did not choose women for priestly ministry” collapses under even the most basic reading of the Gospels. The resurrected Christ entrusted the entire Christian message—the good news of Risen Life—to a woman: Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles.
When Jesus commissions her to “Go and tell,” he is ordaining her with the very authority that defines apostolic ministry. She becomes the first preacher of Easter, the first to proclaim resurrection faith, the first to carry the sacrament of hope to a grieving community. No bishop, no priest, no theologian in history has ever surpassed the truth of that moment.
To deny women’s sacramental authority is to deny Jesus’ own choice.
To exclude women from ordained ministry is to rewrite the Gospel to fit patriarchy’s preferences.
A Theology Rooted in the Equal Image of God
Genesis proclaims a truth that echoes through every age:
“God created humankind in God’s image… male and female God created them.”
This is the foundation of sacramental theology.
If women are images of the Divine—if the Holy One breathes through their bodies, their wisdom, their leadership, their compassion—then the sacraments cannot be restricted by gender without violating the very mystery they mediate.
Women baptize life into being.
Women break open the bread of justice and nurture.
Women pour out healing, mercy, and reconciliation.
Women preside daily at the altar of lived experience.
To say women cannot preside at Eucharist is to deny the Incarnation already happening within and among them.
A church that refuses to see God in women’s bodies cannot credibly claim to see God in bread and wine.
A Failure of Vision, and a Failure of Doctrine
The December 4th statement is not a doctrinal triumph. It is a spiritual failure.
It fails to see women as God sees them: radiant, gifted bearers of Wisdom-Sophia.
It fails to listen to the cries of the baptized who long for a Church where justice is not optional.
It fails to trust the Spirit who continues to call women to priesthood, diaconate, prophetic leadership, and sacramental ministry throughout the world.
Most importantly, it fails to follow Jesus, who consistently broke boundaries, lifted up the marginalized, and refused to make gender a condition for discipleship.
The Movement for Women’s Ordination Is the Holy Spirit’s Renewal, Not Rebellion
Across the globe, women are already serving as priests, deacons, bishops, and sacramental leaders in communities of equals. The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Roman Catholic Womenpriests, and countless Catholic communities testify that the Spirit is not waiting for permission. The Spirit is moving with the unstoppable force of resurrection. Women and non-binary people are claiming their place around the sacred table in inclusive Catholic communities around the world where all are welcome to receive and celebrate sacraments.
We do not stand outside the Church.
We stand within its deepest truth: that the Body of Christ has no “lesser members.”
As I often say: Excommunication cannot cancel baptism.
A decree cannot silence vocation.
And hierarchy cannot cage the Holy One.
A Gospel Call for the Church to Rise
The Vatican’s declaration is not the final word.
The Gospel is.
And the Gospel tells us that the first preacher was a woman.
The first apostolic witness was a woman.
The first commission of the Risen Christ was given to a woman.
Mary Magdalene stands at the empty tomb as the Church’s original model of ordained ministry:
called, empowered, sent.
Her proclamation still echoes: “I have seen the Lord.”
Today, as women continue to rise in every corner of the Church, we echo her cry—not in defiance, but in fidelity to the One who first called us.
Toward a Church of Radical Equality
A Church that denies women sacramental leadership denies its own future.
But a Church that embraces women’s full equality will discover a renewed priesthood, expanded compassion, deeper justice, and a spirituality that mirrors Jesus’ inclusive table.
To all who are discouraged by the Vatican’s December 4th decree, hear this truth:
The Spirit is not finished with the Church.
She is just getting started.
And as long as women continue to say yes—as prophets, priests, apostles, mystics, and midwives of hope—the Church will continue to be reborn. Women Priests are leading a worldwide renewal in the international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement. While the Vatican Commission says women cannot be ordained, women are ordaining women. While the all-male hierarchy refuses, the Spirit moves and women deacons and priests rise up in loving service to God’s people. For more information about the worldwide movement: https://arcwp.org/ https://romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
