Equality of Women and Men in Dignity and the Right to the Sacraments, with Particular Emphasis on Holy Orders and Marriage
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/ps.26302Keywords:
woman, man, equality, dignity, marriage, ordinationAbstract
The fundamental right of the faithful to the sacrament comes from God’s law. It is a guarantee of the possibility of achieving the spiritual goods that are necessary for salvation. Only the law of God contained in the essence of the sacraments themselves can limit this law. Among the general conditions that must be met in order to exercise the right to the sacrament are those mentioned in can. 843 Corpus Iuris Canonici. The universal legislator cares for the equal treatment of all the faithful on the basis
of their dignity. From this dignity comes the equality of men and women also in accessing the sacraments. This is true of all seven sacraments. In the case of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, and the Anointing of the Sick,
the Legislator does not introduce any gender differences or even mention them. The biggest discussions on the issue of equality arise from the possibility of receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders only for men. However, it must be said that the Church is
free to choose candidates for ordination. Therefore, it must be said that men also do not have this right. For this reason, men and women are also equal in law in this matter. In the case of the sacrament of matrimony, woman and man are equal in law and
duties (cf. can. 1055 of the Code of Canon Law). It could be said that a woman is in a sense privileged in the Latin Church as regards the obstacle to abduction. However, the intention of the legislator is to ensure that everyone has the right to free choice of
their spouse. That is why all normative decisions, both canonical and liturgical, aim to emphasize this equality of woman and man.
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