Church allows women to dress, act like priests

There are truths set forth in Holy Scripture which cannot be changed. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the truths written within those sacred pages cannot, and should not, be changed. However, the Church in the Netherlands appears to be pushing back against teaching that is grounded in Holy Scripture and has been declared infallible. The old adage actions speak louder than words certainly appear to be the ideology behind actions of the Netherlands.

“Priestly ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches. When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: ‘She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons.” – (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, Pope John Paul II)

However, the Dutch are allowing women to add to the confusion of Catholics regarding Church teachings by dressing and acting like priests. In fact, they are given the title “pastor” and placed in ministries within the church. The church, at this time, has held back in allowing them to perform sacraments, as the Church forbids, but have opened the gate wide to them portraying themselves among authoritative roles.

Many women in the Netherlands who have been granted the ability to hold paid ministerial functions have created their own garments, which appear as priests’ liturgical garments, and the women are addressed as “pastor” (even on some parish websites.) In addition to wearing garments mimicking a priest’s alb and stola, some of these women “pastors” have taken up roles in performing duties normally administered by a priest or deacon, such as giving blessings to animals and organizing funerals.

It's not necessarily wrong for women to offer a blessing, and even bless, people or animals. “Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a ‘blessing’, and to bless. Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons).” (CCC 1669)

However, the wearing of priestly garments is forbidden. “In the same way, the use of sacred vestments which are reserved to priests or deacons (stoles, chasubles, or dalmatics) at liturgical ceremonies by non-ordained members of the faithful is clearly unlawful. Every effort must be made to avoid even the appearance of confusion which can spring from anomalous liturgical practices. As the sacred ministers are obliged to wear all of the prescribed liturgical vestments so too the non-ordained faithful may not assume that which is not proper to them.” (Vatican Instruction: On certain questions regarding the collaboration of the non-ordained faithful in the sacred ministry of priest, 1997)

Dorenda Gies, one of the women ‘pastors’, has created her own liturgical robes and can be seen wearing them in a video of her welcoming ceremony in Dronrijp, which can be seen here. (It’s just past the 1 hr 35 minute time mark) Other women, such as Ria Mangnus, Alida van Veldhoven, and Katrien van de Wiele are listed as “pastors” on their parish website. Women “pastors” are placed in charge of speaking with Catholics about funerals and organizing funerals.

The women are not ordained, however, that does not prevent them from appearing in every way as a priest and minister within the church by the way they dress and duties they perform.  Although the actions of the women, as well as the Church in the Netherlands, appear to be trying to set the stage for woman to be ordained, it is unlikely that will ever happen. On June 1, 2021, Pope Francis seems to put that issue to rest when he promulgated revisions to the Code of Canon Law which included excommunication of anyone who attempts to ordain a woman.

“Can. 1379 § 3. Both a person who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive the sacred order, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; a cleric, moreover, may be punished by dismissal from the clerical state.”