Need Clarification

[prose]

I was told recently that there were valid, ordained women priests in Russia. Is this true? In praticular, they were saying the Byzantine Rite had them.

[Mateo el Feo]

I'm guessing...no.

I did hear a story about a few women being "ordained" before the Iron Curtin fell. I looked it up, and apparently it happened in Czechoslovakia:

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludmila_Javorov%C3%A1"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludmila_Javorov%C3%A1[/url]

Is this the time period you are referring to?

[prose]

I am not sure. I was defending the fact that there are no women priests, and the person brought up that there once was in Russia, and that now there should be too.

[Socrates]

This person doesn't know what she's talking about.
Women are considered invalid matter for a priestly ordaination, so the "ordination" could never be valid.
Such an "ordination" would never be recognized by the Church, which has consistantly taught that women cannot be priests.

It should be remembered also that Byzantine Rite Catholics (faithful to Rome) are not the same as Eastern Orthodox (in schism from Rome). If this alleged event took place in Russia, it would likely involve Russian Orthodox (though the Orthodox do not recognize women priests either).
So the story likely involves either rogue Orthodox, or is a complete fabrication or misunderstanding. It was certainly not an ordination recognized by the Catholic Church.

Edited October 11, 2007 by Socrates

[Jaime]

When in doubt, go with Ordinatio Sacerdatolis.

There are no women priests in the Church