Leo XIV Appoints Bishop Monteiro: Favours Female Ordination, Refers to Protestants as Role Model
He was ordained a priest on July 14, 1999. The article's picture shows him in 2024 celebrating 25 years as priest.
Rev Monteiro completed a doctorate in 2018 in liturgy at the anti-Catholic University of Vienna, Austria.
"No Harm If Women Are Ordained"
In 2024, Monsignor Monteiro wrote together with a certain Fransiska Widyawati a 16 page study entitled “Paus Fransiskus dan Kepemimpinan Perempuan dalam Gereja Katolik” (Pope Francis and women’s leadership in the Catholic Church). He acknowledges that "current" teaching "definitively" reserves priestly ordination to baptized males. But then he argues in favour of female ordination. His main quotes:
- "The Catholic Church is often considered far behind, especially when compared to other Christian churches."
- "When the neighboring churches have ordained women as priests, are their worship and ecclesial life not accepted by Jesus Christ?"
- "Materially, no one experiences harm or danger if a woman is ordained, as in other Christian churches."
- "In a situation where men are no longer interested in becoming priests, should the Church still close the possibility for women to become priests?"
- "If the principle [exclusion of women from Holy Orders] can still be changed, then when is the time? Why wait so long?"
- "The idea of changing women’s ordination is not an issue related to mortal danger… It is a matter of accepted interpretation, legal standing, and the law used."
- "That equality [of sexes] must be extended to all aspects, including ordination."
- "For those who are opposed, Ordinatio sacerdotalis does not bring progress for the struggle for women’s ordination; indeed, it represents a regression because it closes discussion and dialogue."
- "It may be surmised that sooner or later, the Church will change its tradition."
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