The women’s ordination movement in the Roman Catholic Church is very controversial. The movement began in the 1960s in concurrence with the general women’s rights movement. My father attended a Jesuit seminary during that period. His theology professor taught him that there is no theological basis for excluding women from the priesthood. He said that it was inevitable and only a matter of time before women would be ordained as priests. Nearly 50 years have passed since then.

That well-meaning Jesuit was wrong about one thing: Change is not inevitable-it is achieved, through struggle and sacrifice. The church hierarchy in Rome will eventually accept women into the priesthood because the people demand it. This change will require a general movement of Catholics who will work for the full integration of women into the church.

A large group of such radicals gathered last Sunday to witness the ordination of Rose Marie and Elsie Hainz as Roman Catholic Priests [see “Ordination of two eomen challenges tradition, prompts controversy,” on Page 1]. I almost decided not to attend the ceremony because of my own skepticism about religion. Why couldn’t these women simply find another church that does ordain women? Thanks to the Protestant Reformation, there are hundreds of Christian churches to choose from.

Shouldn’t they simply find one with the same beliefs as theirs?
Eventually, I realized the implications of these women asserting themselves in their own church. Religious conviction is founded on faith, not doctrine. These women and many others are not Catholics because they agree with the doctrine of the church-they are Catholics because it is their faith tradition.

People are shaped by their religious traditions, and those traditions are the basis of their spiritual heritage. This heritage does not belong to the hierarchy in Rome or any other religious institution. It belongs to those who live by it.

The ordination was held in the synagogue of the Jewish Central Reform Congregation. The synagogue’s Rabbi, Susan Talve, said that they decided to host the ordination because of the importance of hospitality in their tradition. The CRC received a lot of negative publicity because of this decision. They freely accepted this burden for the sake of some rogue Catholics who had nowhere else to go. They are a confirmation that you don’t have to be a Christian to be Christ-like.

Bishop Patricia Fresen of South Africa performed the ordination. Fresen was ordained in secret by three Roman Catholic bishops. Since then, she has traveled the world ordaining Catholic women as priests. Because she was ordained by Roman Catholic bishops, her ordination shares the apostolic lineage of the Roman Catholic priesthood. These women claim that apostolic tradition, which dates back to the early church, despite the Rome’s insistence that only men may be ordained.

A male-only priesthood is an ancient tradition in the Roman Catholic Church. Tradition exerts great power over the mind. It is difficult to even imagine a Roman Catholic woman priest-simply because that role has been shaped by men. However, the fact that something has been done a certain way in the past does not justify its continuation. Allowing women into the priesthood will revolutionize priestly ministry with new perspectives and talents, to the enrichment of the entire church.

Despite the obstinacy of Rome, there is hope in the prophetic actions of those who refuse to let their faith be appropriated by the church hierarchy. The ceremony ended with a song that we often sing in College Church. The lyric say, “My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn. Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn!”

On a normal day, these words inspire hope in me, even though it often seems that the world is turning much too slowly. On that day, the words brought me near to tears-tears of joy for hope that does indeed spring eternal in the hearts of those who love justice. The world will turn for them, and when it doesn’t, they will turn the world.

John Nolan is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.