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A Catholic Press Association Award-winner, The Papal "No" is a unique book in contemporary literature concerning the Roman Catholic Church's increasingly controversial exclusion of women from priesthood.
Requiring no background knowledge and written in clear and accessible language, The Papal "No" assembles virtually all the major Vatican documents on women's ordination, exploring responses to them by theologians, educators, bishops, lay Catholic groups, and others. Along the way, it offers explanations of concepts such as "reception" and "subordinationism" that are unfamiliar to many readers.
With an appendix of twelve key documents numbered for easy reference, helpful glossary, and endnotes for scholars, The Papal "No" is the most complete resource ever to appear on one of the most pressing issues in the Catholic Church today.
| Pt. I | Tradition and Vatican II | |
| 1 | Understanding the issues | 5 |
| 2 | The hierarchical priesthood : "an intimate sacramental brotherhood" | 12 |
| 3 | A window unopened - Vatican II : October 11, 1962-December 8, 1965 | 20 |
| 4 | A guide to post-Vatican II themes of the debate | 24 |
| Pt. II | Pope Paul VI | |
| 5 | Discontent : the soul's language of self-discovery | 29 |
| 6 | The Bible does not tell us so | 37 |
| 7 | In Persona Christi : in the person of Christ (a male) | 42 |
| 8 | Obliged to intervene | 59 |
| Pt. III | Pope John Paul II | |
| 9 | One step forward, two steps back | 65 |
| 10 | An element of grave difficulty : Anglican-Roman Catholic relations | 69 |
| 11 | Motherhood in a manly way | 74 |
| 12 | Woman : always the bride | 76 |
| 13 | A theology of the body | 82 |
| 14 | Pleasing no one | 86 |
| 15 | The ordination of women is not possible | 90 |
| 16 | No authority whatsoever | 94 |
| 17 | Obedience, American style | 108 |
| 18 | The bride of Christ and mother of believers | 112 |
| 19 | The inadmissibility of women | 117 |
| 20 | Due to God and neighbor | 128 |
| 21 | Defending the faith | 131 |
| 22 | Father God and mother church | 138 |
| 23 | Women's deeper nature includes saying "no" | 140 |
| 24 | A warning, a decree, an excommunication | 144 |
| Pt. IV | Change and the Vatican | |
| 25 | The documents in brief | 153 |
| 26 | Reexamining the Vatican's themes | 158 |
| Conclusion : from subordination to ordination | 165 | |
| Doc. 1 | "Report of the pontifical biblical commission" (1976) | 177 |
| Doc. 2 | Inter insigniores ("declaration on the admission of women to the ministerial priesthood"), congregation for the doctrine of the faith (1976) | 185 |
| Doc. 3 | "A commentary on the declaration," prepared by an expert theologian at the request of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith (1977) | 196 |
| Doc. 4 | Ordinatio Sacerdotalis ("on reserving priestly ordination to men alone"), Pope John Paul II (1994) | 211 |
| Doc. 5 | "Strengthening the bonds of peace : a pastoral reflection on women in the church and in society," United States conference of Catholic bishops (1994) | 214 |
| Doc. 6 | "Jesuits and the situation of women in church and civil society," the society of Jesus (1995) | 220 |
| Doc. 7 | Responsum ad Dubium regarding ordinatio sacerdotalis ("response to a question regarding ordinatio sacerdotalis"), congregation for the doctrine of the faith (1995) | 225 |
| Doc. 8 | "Address of the holy father to the German bishops," Pope John Paul II (1999) | 226 |
| Doc. 9 | "Message of the holy father to the world union of Catholic women's organizations," Pope John Paul II (2001) | 232 |
| Doc. 10 | "Warning regarding the attempted priestly ordination of some Catholic women," congregation for the doctrine of the faith (2002) | 235 |
| Doc. 11 | "Decree of excommunication regarding the attempted priestly ordination of some Catholic women," congregation for the doctrine of the faith (2002) | 236 |
| Doc. 12 | "Decree on the attempted priestly ordination of some Catholic women," congregation for the doctrine of the faith (2002) | 237 |
| Key dates beginning with Vatican II (1962-65) | 241 |
Anonymous
Posted February 5, 2005
This book took me longer to read than I expected, because even though I was born and raised Catholic there¿s a lot of stuff in here I never knew. I wish more people would write about Catholicism in ways that challenge adults, instead of just telling us what to believe. I admit that sometimes the book got complicated, but I¿d much rather read a book like this than the usual ¿Catholic¿ book that just tells me to obey the Church without asking why. I¿m getting tired of conservatives acting like they¿re the ¿real¿ Catholics and the rest of us are just rebels. Deborah Halter showed me that it¿s my church, too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 19, 2004
It's about time this book was written! The Papal No: A Comprehensive Guide to the Vatican's Rejection of Women's Ordination is not a strident, 'feminist' book, but a chronology of the development of a male Catholic clergy. The book is written so that anyone can understand it, which helped me a lot (I'm a computer analyst, not a theologian). Reading how Rome has given so many different reasons in history about why women can't be priests convinced me that the Vatican's motto should be: 'A male priesthood, by whatever means necessary.' It's very sad that Rome thinks so little (or is so afraid) of women that it rejects Jesus Christ's own love and charity toward women.
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Posted November 10, 2004
This is the first book I¿ve found that places all the widely scattered papers, discussions, and views regarding the Vatican¿s stance on women¿s ordination into one basket. Halter discusses this issue from ancient to present times in a very engaging and accessible manner. I¿m amazed by her ability to gather an immense amount of solid research from various sources over the course of many centuries and present it so clearly that anyone -- Catholic or not, lay or not -- can readily understand this complex issue by reading only a couple of hundred pages.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 10, 2004
The Papal 'No' reads like a mystery, with facts (some familiar, some bizarre) unraveling with every page. I've followed the acrimonious debate surrounding the male-only priesthood for years, and this is the most balanced and intellectually generous account I've found. The book includes all the facts in one place, including numerous Vatican documents in the Appendix, as well as a glossary, lengthy index, and more than 600 footnotes. It will appeal to armchair and active Catholics alike, as well as theologians and religious studies students and scholars. A remarkable work.
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Posted October 28, 2004
Halter has written a thought-provoking book exploring the Vatican¿s position of women¿s ordination and various responses to this position. She takes the complex and often difficult text of the Vatican documents and explains them in concise, easy to understand language. Halter compares Vatican pronouncements with common approaches to ministry. The gulf between Rome and Catholic life at a lay person¿s level leaves the reader feeling frustrated with and disappointed by Rome¿s increasingly out-of-touch position, which is contradictory and hypocritical, especially since Rome ¿affirms¿ women yet denies them access to the priesthood. Although this is a book of non-fiction it reads like a novel. The story of St. Therese of Lisieux (whose desire was to be a priest) interspersed throughout the text makes this book even more interesting and enjoyable.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 12, 2004
Clear, but comprehensive. GIves great background and explanations that do not seem overtly biased or condescending. Handles a touchy subject in flawless fashion -- perfect for theology students and classroom discussion!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 17, 2004
'The Papal No: A Comprehensive Guide to the Vatican's Rejection of Women's Ordination' by Deborah Halter is a gutsy book, exceptionally well-researched and beautifully written. In it Halter recounts the history of women's roles in the Catholic Church, throwing into sharp relief the dramatically different attitudes held by the Church toward women and men. Women are still seen as docile beings defined by their relationships to men. Despite the Church's recent claims of women's dignity, the idea that Jesus (and the apostles after him) did not 'choose' women for leadership office persists in various guises into the present day and continues to undergird the Church's refusal to ordain women. And while most of us tend to think of the Church's position concerning lay women and nuns as historically monolithic, the author reveals fascinating examples of women who have successfully taken on much larger, more priestly roles, cometimes under perilous conditions. I enjoyed seeing the ironic paradoxes in the Church's position over time. And, I liked reading a charming narrative interlaced throughout the book about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun in 19th Century France, who never lost her fierce desire to become a priest. 'The Papal No' makes a powerful statement about a contemporary problem that is unlikely to just go away, even though the patriarchal Catholic Church would surely like it to. This compelling book is suitable for anyone--male or female, Catholic or not, teenager or adult--who rejects the notion that women's God-given gifts and calling to ministry should be limited by a church controlled by a hierarchy of powerful men who have yet to recognize women as equals.
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Overview
A Catholic Press Association Award-winner, The Papal "No" is a unique book in contemporary literature concerning the Roman Catholic Church's increasingly controversial exclusion of women from priesthood.
Requiring no background knowledge and written in clear and accessible language, The Papal "No" assembles virtually all the major Vatican documents on women's ordination, exploring responses to them by theologians, educators, bishops, lay Catholic groups, and others. Along the ...