Oracle of Wisdom Journal of Philosophy and Public Affairs

There are two major problems endangering the future of the ministerial priesthood : the issue of celibacy which is not our central concern here, and the exclusive reservation of the priesthood to the male gender. Though the second problem dates back to the Apostolic times following the choice made by Christ, it is very well known that cultural condidtions of his times where women were regarded as « unfit » and « subservient » to men, influenced his choice of males. In the 21st century when cultural inhibitions have been largely overcome, why has it not been reflected in the church ? Our attempt is to expose the Greek philosophical anvils upon which the church's stand has been formulated, a stand largely influenced by Saint Thomas Aquinas. Our approach here is hermeneutical where we expose and interpret the texts that have kept the church counter gender-inclusive in the ministerial priesthood. Both the Inter Insigniores and the Ordinatio Sacerdotalis of the Church will be shown to have male superiority undertones inherited from the Greek philosophers. Though Christ selected Jews and married men to the ministerial priesthood, the church was able to change both situations. Thus we ask : is the church's exclusive male minsterial priesthood justified ? Most scholarship in this field have been historical, sociological and theological. Among other things, we wish to improve the philosophical contribution to this question. 

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