Timmerie opened a recent segment of Trending with Timmerie by discussing the headline-making appointment in the Anglican Church: Archbishop Sarah Mulally, the first female head of the Church of England. The move wasn’t unanimous, and the backlash has been fierce. Many Anglicans call it a break from Scripture, especially since Mulally claims marriage is between one man and one woman, while also approving the blessings of same-sex unions.
Her contradiction raises a deeper question: Who interprets the Word of God? Timmerie reminds listeners that the New Testament writers were either apostles or directly formed by them. The apostles chosen by Christ were all men. They ordained male successors. This pattern wasn’t cultural preference; it was continuity with Jesus’ own actions.
Timmerie doesn’t hide the “optics” issue either. Seeing women dressed as bishops, short-haired and wearing episcopal vestments, “looks odd” because the role has always been male, down to the very etymology of the word bishop. But the heart of the teaching is far deeper than clothing.
Christ was a man. Christ was a priest. Christ appointed only men as priests. A priest stands in persona Christi, the bridegroom to His bride, the Church. Holy Orders is a sacrament, an unmerited gift, with qualifications set by Christ, not by preference or fairness.
And yet, Timmerie beautifully affirms women’s vocation through Mary, who was not made a priest but became the spiritual mother of the apostles themselves. Women mirror her maternal mission, both biologically and spiritually, forming souls as mother figures.
She shares the story of a classmate who longed to be a priest, searched Scripture for loopholes, and came up empty. Submission to Christ’s design didn’t crush her. It clarified her dignity, deepened her love for the priesthood, and strengthened her understanding of the unique call of women.
The Catholic answer to female ordination is simple: we do what Christ did.
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