Characteristic of our Catholic faith is a perspective of reality, of creation and this world, and of the Church that is wider than ourselves and our own particular circumstances. 

 

This is why the Church and our faith is called catholic, meaning universal.

 

The universality of faith logically requires of us an acceptance of truth and an act of humility. We accept the truth of faith because the nature of truth is that it is rooted in God who is all truth. 

 

As such, truth does not change, does not cease to be truth on a given day or in a given era any more than God in His perfect nature changes or evolves.

 

Our understanding of truth and adherence to it means that we live in a universality of this world. Truth is the same for all men and women and for understanding creation. 

 

Truth, the revelation given the world by Christ, also links us to the universality of eternity. We are made for eternal life. But damaged by the effects of original sin and our own sins, we stand in need of redemption. 

 

Redemption is offered to us, contingent on our use of free will to accept Jesus as the Son of God and to heed His words.

 

This is why faith requires of us an act of humility. We are not the creator, we are part of creation. In our humility we seek our place in this life and in relation to the truth. 

 

Only in humility can we understand and embrace our place within the Catholic Church established by Christ to continue His work and to guide us to the truth in every age with its particular challenges.

 

It is in this context that we need to be aware of proposals to address challenges and problems in the Church by changing Her fundamental structure. For example, there are constant calls in some quarters to alter the priesthood by opening it to women.

 

However, the priesthood and every priest is a gift to the whole Church from Christ Himself. Jesus instituted the priesthood at the Last Supper when, in His wisdom and sovereign judgment He called the 12 men closest to Him, the Apostles, and entrusted the Eucharist to them. 

 

It is from this moment that the Church has understood that Christ Himself instituted a male priesthood as a part of the truth that constitutes the Church.

 

The matter has been discussed repeatedly in the history of the Church. As recently as 1994, Pope St. John Paul II stated, “ ... 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 (see 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.” (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 4).

 

Pope Francis commented similarly, saying in an interview on June, 17, 2018, “With sacred orders, you can’t do anything because dogmatically it doesn’t go — and John Paul II was clear and closed the door, and I won’t turn on this.” 

 

Given the words and the authority of the late Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis, we recognize that the male priesthood is a part of the truth, not simply a practice that can be altered. It is not a form of discrimination but a part of God’s design.

 

As such, the male priesthood is itself a gift from God. It is our place and our faith that we embrace and accept that gift. And as with all gifts, we receive it with thanks to the Giver for His love and generosity to us.