TEXANNE writes:

Now that homosexuality is to be considered as a “battlefield multiplier,” and the military will be integrating women into combat units, being a soldier will be less attractive as a manly pursuit. Now that the Boy Scouts are signaling a compromise on homosexuality, scouting will lose it’s appeal and identity as challenging adventure for boys devoted to forming a manly character.

It’s interesting to think about how the Catholic priesthood might be one of the few (the only?) vocations restricted to manly males. It is heartening to see newly ordained, dedicated, well-formed priests coming out of seminary, and to watch the young altar boys serving with such seriousness and precision at the Traditional Latin Mass.

Unlike the Boy Scouts, the Catholic Church has responded to its sex abuse scandals with the clear statement that men with homosexual tendencies are not suited to the priesthood and will not be admitted. And in spite of intense pressure, insults, threats and challenges from within and outside the Church, the priesthood remains closed to women.

The Church is one institution that still takes the differences between the sexes seriously. While the rest of the culture succumbs to the forces of feminism, sexual confusion and androgyny, the Catholic priesthood stands out as a manly vocation, and maybe this will enable more good men to hear the call. Wouldn’t that be a surprising development in the culture war!

Laura writes:

Good point. However, as you suggest, this is much more the case with the traditional Catholic liturgy, in which women are excluded from the altar and the heavily feminized tone of the Novus Ordo is absent.

The Orthodox Church also excludes women from the priesthood, and more orthodox Protestant sects do not allow women to serve as ministers.

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