MARQUETTE -- There are 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide, and with Tuesday's installation of Pope Francis, there was something missing among the many cardinals standing next to him....women.
Monday night, a group called Citizens for Peace and Justice showed a documentary film called "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican." The film was about women being ordained as priests.
After the film, two people shared their thoughts on the ordination of women priests.
"When the Catholic Church opens up to the realization that women are called to be priests, I think a lot of other issues about abuse and sexuality will be able to start to be addressed and healed in our community," said Cathy Sullivan Seblonka.
Cathy Sullivan Seblonka grew up Catholic, but she is not anymore, and like the women in the documentary film, Seblonka agrees that the ordination of women priests should be allowed in the Catholic Church.
There have been a few priests who ordained women, but the priests were excommunicated by the Vatican. All of the ordained women priests were also excommunicated.
The Catholic Church says, "Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination."
"I can't really speak for Roman Catholics, but I can sympathize with Roman Catholics who believe that the doors to ordination should be open to both sexes," said David Mair, retired Presbyterian minister.
The Catholic Church also says, "The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry."
"I used to see it as something that would happen in my lifetime. I hope that it does happen in my lifetime, but I don't have faith that it will happen in my lifetime," Sullivan Seblonka said.
There are more than 100 ordained women priests in the United States, but their ordination is not recognized by the Catholic Church.
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