Everyone A Priest

 ORDAIN EVERYONE AND FIX NOTHING? 

The Grave Error Behind Changing Holy Orders to Cure the Church

✝️ INTRODUCTION: 

A Misdiagnosis of the Church's Wounds

In some circles, there is a growing belief that the way to “fix” the Catholic Church—especially in the wake of scandals and declining attendance—is to ordain women and married people. 

This is the view expressed by some leaders in “ecumenical” groups unaffiliated with Rome, who claim that if the Catholic Church does not change its rules on ordination, it guarantees “toxicity.”

But this argument rests on a false premise. The root of ecclesial dysfunction is not in who can be ordained, but in how faithfully the Church guards the deposit of faith, lives the sacraments, and imitates the crucified Christ.

This article explores, from a deep Catholic perspective, why this solution is not only misguided but spiritually dangerous—and how true renewal happens.

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🕊️ I. THE APOSTOLIC BLUEPRINT: 

WHY PRIESTHOOD IS MALE AND CELIBATE

📖 Rooted in the Call of Christ

Jesus chose twelve men to form the apostolic college (Mark 3:13–19, Luke 6:12–16).

He did this intentionally, despite living in a culture where women were prominent in religious roles (e.g., priestesses in Greco-Roman temples).

This was not cultural conformity but prophetic design, signifying the New Israel.

> “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”

(John 15:16)

🔹 Key Point: Christ’s call to the Twelve is not merely historical—it's a pattern for how His Church should operate.

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🧱 II. APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION ISN’T FLEXIBLE

The Church does not have the authority to change what Christ instituted.

> “The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.”

(Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, St. John Paul II, 1994)

This is a matter of divine law, not just Church tradition. As such, it is not subject to popular vote or evolving cultural norms.

📖 St. Paul affirms this design:

> “Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.”

(1 Timothy 2:11–12)

This is not misogyny, but recognition of diverse and complementary roles in the Church.

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💒 III. CELIBACY: 

A RADICAL SIGN OF THE KINGDOM

Celibacy is not the source of clerical toxicity—it is a gift when rightly lived.

> “The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 7:32)

🔵 Key Truths:

Celibacy enables a priest to be available to all, with no divided loyalty.

Married clergy are allowed in Eastern Catholic Churches, but even they require episcopal celibacy—showing a universal preference for celibate leadership.

🔹 Example:

St. John Paul II, St. Padre Pio, and St. John Vianney—some of the most spiritually fruitful leaders in history—lived celibate lives marked by extraordinary holiness, deep pastoral care, and reverence for the Eucharist.

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👑 IV. EQUALITY ≠ INTERCHANGEABILITY: WHY WOMEN’S ROLE IS NOT LESS

🟣 Women Are Central in God’s Plan of Salvation

> “There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

(Galatians 3:28)

This speaks of spiritual dignity, not identical functions.

🔹 Examples of Heroic Women in the Church:

Mary, the Mother of God: Greater than the Apostles—yet never a priest.

St. Teresa of Avila: Reformed the Carmelites, became a Doctor of the Church.

St. Catherine of Siena: Corrected popes, brought peace to cities—without ordination.

🟪 True inclusion does not mean clericalization.

The Church celebrates the feminine genius—nurturing, intuitive, relational, and strong—not by making women like men, but by elevating their distinct callings.

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💥 V. THE REAL SOURCES OF CHURCH TOXICITY

Changing ordination rules will not remove what makes a Church “toxic.” The real sources of dysfunction lie elsewhere.

⚠️ Root Causes of Ecclesial Toxicity

🌑 Clericalism: A spiritual elitism that breeds abuse of power.

🌑 Neglect of prayer and penance: Without spiritual renewal, rot festers.

🌑 Doctrinal compromise: Preaching a feel-good gospel that ignores sin and truth.

🌑 Moral relativism: Approving behavior Scripture condemns.

> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup... but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

(Matthew 23:25)

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🔥 VI. THE DANGEROUS FALLACY OF MODERNIZING HOLY ORDERS

To say “ordain everyone and you’ll solve everything” is like saying “put out a fire by painting over it.”

🔴 Changing the structure without healing the soul leads to greater dysfunction.

🔹 Historical Evidence:

Protestant groups who ordain women and married ministers still face:

▪︎Steep membership declines

▪︎Theological disunity

▪︎Sexual scandals and spiritual confusion

▪︎Deep internal division (e.g., Anglican Communion)

🟧 Example: The Episcopal Church in the U.S. lost over 40% of its members since permitting female ordination and same-sex blessings—not because they weren’t "inclusive" enough, but because they lost their anchor in truth.

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🌱 VII. THE TRUE PATH TO RENEWAL

🔵 What Actually Renews the Church?

🟢 Personal holiness

🟢 Sacramental life (especially Eucharist and Confession)

🟢 Deep prayer and fasting

🟢 Bold preaching of truth in love

🟢 Transparent structures of accountability

🟢 Authentic lay involvement—not lay clericalism

> “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God.”

(Romans 12:2)

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🌟 VIII. VISIBLE BULLETPOINTS: CATHOLIC TRUTH CHECKLIST

✅ Christ chose male apostles deliberately—His design matters

✅ The Church does not have the authority to change the matter of ordination

✅ Celibacy is a sign of radical love, not repression

✅ Women lead the Church in holiness without ordination

✅ True “toxicity” is spiritual and moral, not structural

✅ Real reform = Faithfulness + Holiness + Sacramental Living

✅ Protestant groups that “liberalized” did not grow spiritually or numerically

✅ Inclusion ≠ Ordination. Love ≠ Lying about God’s design

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🙏 CONCLUSION: 

A CHURCH THAT BLEEDS WITH CHRIST, NOT REWRITES HIS WORD

Ordination is not a tool for social engineering. It is a sacrament of apostolic continuity, entrusted by Christ to the Church, and not to be altered based on trends.

We must not fall into the false compassion of tailoring doctrine to human wounds. The way of Christ is not to change the cross, but to carry it—and from it flows true resurrection and renewal.

Let us build the Church not on innovation, but on faithfulness, prayer, and courageous witness to the truth.

> “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”

(Psalm 127:1)