Why can’t women be ordained priests within the Catholic Church?

The Church does not have the authority to ordain women. In his apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, Pope John Paul II declared “that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women” (4).

Some of the reasons cited include:

1. The example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his apostles only from among men
2. The constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men
3. The Church’s living teaching authority has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God’s plan for his Church.