The Papal No: The Vatican's Refusal to Ordain Women [Paperback]

Deborah Halter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0824522710 | ISBN-13: 978-0824522711 | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

A Catholic Press Association Award-winner, The Papal "No" is a unique book in contemporary literature concerning the Roman Catholic Church's increasingly controversial exclusion of women from priesthood.

Requiring no background knowledge and written in clear and accessible language, The Papal "No" assembles virtually all the major Vatican documents on women's ordination, exploring responses to them by theologians, educators, bishops, lay Catholic groups, and others. Along the way, it offers explanations of concepts such as "reception" and "subordinationism" that are unfamiliar to many readers.

With an appendix of twelve key documents numbered for easy reference, helpful glossary, and endnotes for scholars, The Papal "No" is the most complete resource ever to appear on one of the most pressing issues in the Catholic Church today.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

When she speaks to groups on the controversal issue of women's ordination, Deborah Halter has discovered one thing that unites all sides -- few people know the history of the debate or understand the technical vocabulary of the official church positions. The Papal "No" is the first book to assemble every major Vatican and episcopal pronouncement on women's ordination, explaining each document in readable, nontechnical language, and showing the variety of Catholic responses to them from all sides. The Papal "No" includes frequently asked questions and glossary.

About the Author

Deborah Halter is a former chair of the Womens Ordination Conference and speaker at Call to Action. She is a widely sought-after speaker on women's issues in the Catholic Church. She lives in New Orleans, LA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824522710
• ISBN-13: 978-0824522711
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pope's Priesthood--The Boys' Club, November 9, 2004

By 

Sharon R. Orgeron (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Papal No: The Vatican's Refusal to Ordain Women (Paperback)

Halter has written a thought-provoking book exploring the Vatican's position of women's ordination and various responses to this position. She takes the complex and often difficult text of the Vatican documents and explains them in concise, easy to understand language. Halter compares Vatican pronouncements with common approaches to ministry. The gulf between Rome and Catholic life at a lay person's level leaves the reader feeling frustrated with and disappointed by Rome's increasingly out-of-touch position, which is contradictory and hypocritical, especially since Rome "affirms" women yet denies them access to the priesthood. Although this is a book of non-fiction it reads like a novel. The story of St. Therese of Lisieux (whose desire was to be a priest) interspersed throughout the text makes this book even more interesting and enjoyable.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gutsy History of Women in the Catholic Church, October 17, 2004

By 

Andrea W. Herrmann (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Papal No: The Vatican's Refusal to Ordain Women (Paperback)

"The Papal No: A Comprehensive Guide to the Vatican's Rejection of Women's Ordination" by Deborah Halter is a gutsy book, exceptionally well-researched and beautifully written. In it Halter recounts the history of women's roles in the Catholic church, throwing into sharp relief the dramatically different attitudes held by the Church toward women and men. Women are still seen as docile beings defined by their relationships to men. Despite the Church's recent claims of women's dignity, the idea that Jesus (and the apostles after him) did not "choose" women for leadership office persists in various guises into the present day and continues to undergird the Church's refusal to ordain women. And while most of us tend to think of the Church's position concerning lay women and nuns as historically monolithic, the author reveals fascinating examples of women who have successfully taken on much larger, more priestly roles, sometimes under perilous conditions. I enjoyed seeing the ironic paradoxes in the Church's position over time. And, I liked reading a charming narrative interlaced throughout the book about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun in 19th Century France, who never lost her fierce desire to become a priest. "The Papal No" makes a powerful statement about a contemporary problem that is unlikely to just go away, even though the patriarchal Catholic Church would surely like it to. This compelling book is suitable for anyone--male or female, Catholic or not, teenager or adult--who rejects the notion that women's God-given gifts and calling to ministry should be limited by a church controlled by a hierachy of powerful men who have yet to recognize women as equals.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachings, February 4, 2005

By 

D. Carlson (TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Papal No: The Vatican's Refusal to Ordain Women (Paperback)

This book has told me things about my faith nobody has ever told me before, including my Catholic high school teachers and Catholic university professors. No one ever taught me the history of priesthood, and before reading this book I never once asked WHY Pope John Paul II said there will never be women priests. This book makes me wonder how many other teachings I never got, or how many things I believe without even knowing why. Deborah Halter sounds like a really good Catholic, and that's what I want to be. I don't think anybody can be a good Catholic by just believing what they're told and not being willing to spend time studying their faith. A few parts of this book were difficult for me to follow because it answers a lot of questions on every page and sometimes I had to slow down, but it definitely was worth the effort.