Much of the blogosphere’s reaction to yesterday’s announcement has focused on what many perceive to be the challenge it seems to present to ecumenical efforts. I’ve always thought that for the Vatican, particularly under this pope, ecumenism meant all other Christian traditions accepting papal supremacy.

I’m actually more interested in what this provision for allowing the ordination of married Anglican priests says about clerical celibacy and about Holy Orders. Either celibacy is required, or it’s not, but to allow exceptions in certain cases seems to me very odd , indeed. If I were a Roman Catholic priest, who was certain about my call to the priesthood, but uncertain about the charism of celibacy, I would be outraged.. If I were a Roman Catholic priest who married, I would be outraged. If I were a devout Roman Catholic, uncertain of the call to celibacy, but certain of my call to the priesthood, I would be outraged.

For me, there are basically three things that stand in the way of my conversion to Catholicism:

1) the papal supremacy, which I think is a historical fiction and not a necessary mark of the true churcch

2) clerical celibacy, which is a medieval development (product of the Gregorian reforms, although with earlier roots)

3) ordination of women (see Romans 16, where Paul refers to Junia (a woman) as an apostle

There’s a great deal more, of course, but the greater Catholic tradition has always made room for theological diversity, and until the sixteenth century, considerable liturgical diversity as well.