Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

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Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (Latin for On Ordination to the Priesthood) is a Roman Catholic document discussing the Roman Catholic Church's position requiring "the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone." This Apostolic Letter was issued from the Vatican by Pope John Paul II on 22 May 1994. In its clear proclamation that "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women," it has resulted in a significant amount of controversy since its release, although official understanding is that this letter is supposed to end controversy.

Drawing from an earlier Vatican document, "Declaration Inter Insigniores on the question of the Admission of Women to the Ministerial Priesthood" issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in October 1976, Pope John Paul explains the official Roman Catholic understanding that the priesthood is a special role specially set out by Jesus when he chose a dozen men out of his group of male and female followers. Pope John Paul notes that Jesus chose the Twelve (cf. Mk 3:13-14; Jn 6:70) after a night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12) and that the Apostles themselves were careful in the choice of their successors. The priesthood is "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 letter concludes with the words: "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." (Declaramus Ecclesiam facultatem nullatenus habere ordinationem sacerdotalem mulieribus conferendi, hancque sententiam ab omnibus Ecclesiae fidelibus esse definitive tenendam.)

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was not issued under the extraordinary papal magisterium as an ex cathedra statement, and so is not considered infallible in itself. There is, however, a case for its contents to be infallible under the ordinary magisterium, as this doctrine has been held consistently by the Church. In a responsum ad dubium dated October 1995, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the teaching of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was to be held definitively, as belonging to the deposit of faith. In 1998, this was clarified slightly (in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's Doctrinal Commentary on Ad Tuendam Fidem) to state that the teaching of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was not taught as being divinely revealed, although it might someday be so taught in the future:

“ A similar process can be observed in the more recent teaching regarding the doctrine that priestly ordination is reserved only to men. The Supreme Pontiff, while not wishing to proceed to a dogmatic definition, intended to reaffirm that this doctrine is to be held definitively, since, founded on the written Word of God, constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. As the prior example illustrates, this does not foreclose the possibility that, in the future, the consciousness of the Church might progress to the point where this teaching could be defined as a doctrine to be believed as divinely revealed. ”

Contents

[edit] The question of the possibility that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is taught ex cathedra

It should be noted that based on Vatican document(s)/article(s) after Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was put forth, that it seems as if Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is not an ex cathedra teaching. It is not clear the level to which subsequent documents including a commentary and a Vatican newspaper article require official assent. These documents do not teach official Church doctrines per se, rather they are of an explicative/commentary nature. None of these documents was a papal document although the commentary was apparently approved by the pope. Nonetheless, as Church documents, they must be respected and deferred to.

There are still questions based on other documents. Also Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in and of itself seems to meet the criteria of an ex cathedra teaching. The claim is not definitively made here that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is ex cathedra - rather the reasoning is proposed.

[edit] Definitions:

OM: Ordinary Magisterium

EM: Extraordinary Magisterium

Pastor aeternus (The Vatican I Definition of Papal Infallibility)

OS: Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

the teaching: the content of OS regarding the priesthood and not OS itself.

RAD: Responsum As Dubium

DCPF: Doctrinal Commentary by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). This commentary was about the Profession of Faith and was not about OS but referred to it.

[edit] Statement from Ordinatio Sacerdotalis by Pope John Paul II

From Ordinatio Sacerdotalis:

...in order that all doubt may be removed...I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women...

The pope clearly did not say that he was removing doubt by reference to the ordinary Magisterium - he clearly said that it was his declaration by the authority of his ministry that is removing all doubt.

[edit] Statement from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI)

When Pope Benedict XVI was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he stated [1] that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis did not invoke papal infallibility (bold added):

In this case, an act of the ordinary Papal Magisterium, in itself not infallible, witnesses to the infallibility of the teaching of a doctrine already possessed by the Church.

This was confirmed by Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who wrote in a Vatican Newspaper Article[2] (bold added):

It must be stressed then that in the Encyclicals Veritatis splendor and Evangelium vitae and in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis, the Roman Pontiff intended, though not in a solemn way, to confirm and reaffirm doctrines which belong to the ordinary, universal teaching of the Magisterium, and which therefore are to be held in a definitive and irrevocable way.

The same Vatican newspaper article also stated:

The particular nature of a teaching of the papal Magisterium that is meant merely to confirm or repropose a certitude of faith already lived consciously by the Church or affirmed by the universal teaching of the entire Episcopate can be seen not in the teaching of the doctrine per se, but in the fact that the Roman Pontiff formally declares that this doctrine already belongs to the faith of the Church and is infallibly taught by the ordinary, universal Magisterium as divinely revealed or to be held in a definitive way.

In other words, according to the Vatican, in addition to teaching ex cathedra, the Pope has at his disposal another method to remove all doubt concerning a doctrinal issue; namely, he can formally declare that a doctrine belongs to the ordinary, universal magisterium. The Pope may use either or both of these methods, as he sees fit. In the case of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, the Pope made a deliberate decision to use the second method, without also using the first.

[edit] Evidence that OS meets the criteria

Some may be confused that although Cardinal Ratzinger indicated that OS is not ex cathedra, OS itself seems to meet the criteria of an ex cathedra infallible teaching as follows:

  • Clearly speaking as head of the universal Church (ex cathedra):

"...in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren..."

  • Teaching regarding faith and morals: Yes
  • Indications that his declaration is a final and irrevocable definition:

"...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,..." and "...this judgment is to be definitively held..."

  • Teaching binds on the whole Church:

"...to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful"

The DCPF, authored by then-Cardinal Ratzinger, plainly states that OS is not a dogmatic defintion. This document was not a commentary about OS and referred to it as an example. It is apparent that the DCPF reflects a personal communication between then-Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope John Paul II regarding the latter's deliberate intent not to invoke papal infallibility.

One might ask the general question that if a teaching is manifestly ex cathedra based on the criteria of Pastor aeternus does this mean it can be declared not to be ex cathedra by non-papal documents or commentary letters? This does not preclude that OS is manifestly ex cathedra however, the possibility that it is, raises the question.

Also, consider Archbishop Bertone's statement in a Vatican Newspaper Article[2]:

The particular nature of a teaching of the papal Magisterium that is meant merely to confirm...can be seen...in the fact that the Roman Pontiff formally declares that this doctrine already belongs to the faith of the Church and is infallibly taught by the ordinary, universal Magisterium as divinely revealed or to be held in a definitive way.

Thus, based on this, if a papal teaching states that a doctrine is infallibly taught in the ordinary Magisterium, then it is evident that its nature is not ex cathedra.

However, one might ask how this is to be reconciled with the understanding (confirmed by the CDPF) that a teaching that is infallibly taught by the ordinary Magisterium may later be taught by the extraordinary Magisterium.

Also refer to this statement from The Successor of Peter Teaches Infallibly (1993):

"The reason for ex cathedra definitions is almost always to give this certification to the truths that are to be believed as belonging to the "deposit of faith" and to exclude all doubt..."

This statement indicates that a main purpose of ex cathedra teaching is to certify teachings that are to be held as part of the deposit of faith.

Also note how the above description of ex cathedra matches Cardinal Ratzinger's statement in Responsum Ad Dubium:

the Roman Pontiff, exercising his proper office of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32), has handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration, explicitly stating what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as belonging to the deposit of the faith.

and further note the connection with the concept of ex cathedra as a gift of "strengthening", i.e. "confirming the brethren".

Thus it is clear that Pope John Paul II could have, if he so desired, used an ex cathedra teaching to confirm the brethren and settle all doubt, officially, concerning the prohibition of ordaining women to the Roman Catholic priesthood. However, this is not to say that an ex cathedra teaching is the only possible method to confirm the brethren. In fact, Archbishop Bertone's article clearly states that another method is possible, that of formally declaring that the teaching is already infallible by virtue of the ordinary, universal magisterium.

Thus it is seen as possible, from then-Cardinal Ratzinger's statement that this confirming of brethren took place, that the Pope could have (1) made an ex cathedra teaching; or (2) formally declared the teaching to be an existing infallible teaching of the ordinary, universal magisterium; or (3) done both. However, other magisterial statements clarify that case (2) is what occurred with Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.

[edit] Common alleged misconceptions

Most Catholics believe that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is not ex cathedra based on their trust in the several statements of the Church's magisterium to that effect, together with their belief that the Vatican curia accurately portrays the intentions of the Roman Pontiff.

Below are shown a few officially incorrect reasons why people think OS is not ex cathedra. This is not intended to show that OS is ex cathedra per se but rather to clarify certain characteristics of ex cathedra teaching as they relate to OS.

[edit] Belief #1: OS cannot be ex cathedra because it did not define a new doctrine

This belief is also based on the general idea that a teaching already known about or taught by the OM, cannot subsequently be taught ex cathedra. Refer to ideas about papal infallibility. Papal Infallibility

[edit] Belief #2: In OS the Pope did not use the ex cathedra formula

This concept is based on the general idea that an ex cathedra teaching requires use of a specific language formula. Nowhere in the Pastor aeternus does it state that the pope must specifically use phrases such as "I define". Furthermore the pope did use the word "definitively". He also used the phrases "...all doubt may be removed..." and "confirming the brethren". However the Catechism does indicate that a teaching of the EM will indicate that a doctrine is to be believed as "divinely revealed". So the lack of presence of this language may indicate that a definition is not ex cathedra. The question, in official Catholic theory, is raised if the language of "divine revelation" must be explicit or can be implicit (as might be claimed to be the case in OS).

[edit] Further evidence based on the Vatican document regarding papal infallibility in 1993

The document regarding papal infallibility was published in 1993 and OS was stated one year later.

The document showed the Vatican I defintion of ex cathedra infallibility, and explained that ex cathedra teaching is almost always used to certify and eliminate all doubt, or even condemn error.

Note also that the document quotes the Vatican II discussion of ex cathedra infallibility: "confirms his brethren" http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/jo...9930317en.html

It is observed that this document (one year before OS was declared) used this language in describing ex cathedra infallibility:.
"...exclude all doubt...".
"...confirms his brethren...".
and OS contains these words:.
"...all doubt may be removed.....
...my ministry of confirming the brethren...".

Also the document said this regarding ex cathedra infallibility: '...a charism of assistance from the Holy Spirit that is customarily called "infallibility."' (It is clear that it was referring to ex cathedra infallibility because this statement was indicated to be further discussed by the Vatican I definition which immediately followed the statement.) http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/jo...9930317en.html

Subsequently, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was put forth on Sunday May 22, the Solemnity of Pentecost. This alone of course does not prove that OS is taught ex cathedra. However, it may be symbolic that OS was put forth on the day of the Church's celebration of the Holy Spirit who, in Catholicism, Himself gives the gift of infallibility. Against this argument is the fact that Pope John Paul II used a relatively low level of papal document, an Apostolic Letter, to promulagate this teaching. Had the teaching been ex cathedra, according to some accusations, the symbolically appropriate level of document would be an Apostolic Constitution, which is the highest level of papal document.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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