Review by Michael Kerrigan in RENEW, the quarterly magazine of Catholics for a Changing Church, no 197, March 2021, p. 16.

John Wijngaards, What They Don’t Teach You in Catholic College: Women in the priesthood and the mind of Christ, (Lafayette, Acadian House Publishing, 2020), hb, 216 pp, ISBN: 978-0999588444, £16.99. Also available as Amazon Kindle ebook, £7.99.

This short book with a very long title is most timely. The subject-the ordination of women-may still be taboo in ‘Catholic college’, but it is now widely and openly discussed among Catholics, with several recent books bringing substantial theological and historical support to the debate in favour of change. This author, however, began arguing the case for women ministerial priests nearly fifty years ago and has maintained his position consistently through the long years when the subject was explicitly declared ‘off-limits’. The book is an account of his campaign (which cost him his ministerial priesthood) as well as a cogent presentation of the case.

The essential reason the institutional Church gives for rejecting women’s ordination, according to Wijngaards, is that Jesus wanted it so. On the contrary, he argues, not only is that argument unfounded in Scripture, there is ample evidence that Christ-the risen Jesus-wants women to be able to serve as ministerial priests in our time. The constant ‘tradition’ of exclusion reflects ‘human preferences and customs’, not the mind of Christ.

After detailing the historical facts of women’s exclusion, he shows that this boils down to ‘cultural prejudice’-the innate inferiority of women—or dubious theology-woman not being created fully in the image of God, or of the male Jesus. The mediaeval Church, including Aquinas, combined both. Dismissing such outdated notions, our author then argues that Jesus, though, as a man, subject to the knowledge and culture of his time, ‘never meant his choice of just men for the twelve apostles to establish a permanent rule’; indeed Scripture, particularly the writings of Luke, contains ‘clear pointers’ to Jesus’ openness to women’s ‘full participation in Holy Orders’. Priesthood, as Christ intended it and Hebrews describes it, is based on love and service; it does not ‘include a requirement of gender’.

Moreover, despite official opposition, the faithful have consistently believed a woman could be a ministerial priest; it is implicit in much Marian devotion. Now, in the twenty-first century, the sensusfidelium is clearly in favour. However constant and forceful traditional opposition may be in this case, the Church’s long-held position on equally major questions has changed: witness slavery, nulla salus, etc. Wijngaards concludes: ‘It is time for the Church to listen to what Jesus Christ really wants’.

Useful appendices include relevant papal documents and a ‘timeline’ of key dates.

Though brief, this book presents a very well-researched, most readable and compelling case, based on a lifetime of serious study. Well worth the 3 hours and 36 minutes which Kindle says it will take to read.