Sunday, October 27, 2013

Women Cardinals

You don't have to be ordained to be made a cardinal.  This is an appointed position.  For some time now cardinals were all priests first.  The Pope could appoint a woman a cardinal.  No canon law against this.  Here is an area where custom is disguised as law or rule.  Some things the church does are mere customs, and not rules.  Since we have never heard of a woman cardinal, we think it is a rule.  A pope has to be a male, but when elected, he only needs to be a single, Catholic male in good standing.  He is then ordained a priest, bishop and then made pope.  He has to be an ordained bishop because he is the bishop of the Rome diocese.  His bishop's church is John Lateran, not St. Peter's.  People are petitioning the pope to appoint women as cardinals and give them powerful positions in the curia.  Well, that sure would jump start things!

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