Hey guys,

I came across an interesting video about the “stained glass ceiling” that women face in the Catholic church.  These women explain that despite formal credentials (theological training, special recognition from seminary professors, etc.), they cannot become fully ordained ministers because of traditional rules.  They mention that they feel called to fulfill theological leadership positions, but they cannot be they were born a woman (and once again, despite sometimes being more qualified and/or better than their male counterparts). While some of these women still found roles in the church, they were in positions that didn’t require ordination.

Of particular interest to me is that there seems to be a sense of guilt for feeling that they are concerned with their own rights to leadership positions; one woman mentions that the call is supposed to be to selflessness, and that she couldn’t help but feel self-righteous.  There must be a pretty significant level of cognitive dissonance resulting from feeling, on the one side, that you should be entitled to certain positions given your training and competencies, and on the the other side, that you should be sacrificing your own desires for the “cause.”

Thanks,

Stephen