MANILA, April 15, 2013— An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is adamantly against the ordination of women, saying that priesthood should solely remain for men.
New Imus Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista, who heads the CBCP’s Commission on Vocations, said that only men can receive the holy orders but women can still serve the church by entering the religious life.
But just because the Catholic hierarchy is composed of males only does not mean women have no place within the Church, he said.
“Women can serve (the Church) in other ways like being with the religious, or even as lay. The consecrated life is not a lesser form of serving God,” Evangelista said.
With Pope Francis’ election as pope, many wonder if the Church will take a more liberal position on women joining the priesthood, a sacrament currently forbidden to women.
According to Evangelista, who is also a member of the CBCP’s Commission on Seminaries, the Church’s position will remain that priesthood is for male. “And that is also my stand as a bishop,” he said.
The bishop added that there are many ways of serving God and the Church.
“It’s just that there are different charisms,” said Evangelista. “Women don’t need to become priests just to serve God.” (Roy Lagarde)
