On 26 February 2017, the first woman, Presbyterian pastor Rola Sleiman, was ordained in the Christian world of Arab culture.
Rola Sleiman will go down in history. After her ordination, Rola told journalists that “at last the justice of Christ has been fulfilled”.
In 2012, Rola Sleiman had commented on her possible ordination as follows: “It is not something I dream about day and night. Whatever happens, I will not be saddened.” Sleiman openly says that she truly never imagined that her ordination would become reality. She does not hide that she was very pleasantly surprised by the Synod’s vote – 23 “for” and 1 “against” her ordination.
Rola Sleiman previously served as a licensed preacher, but as early as 2008 she carried out the functions of a pastor with the restriction of performing two sacraments – baptizing and consecrating communion. She had the authority to marry and to conduct funerals, yet in reality a male pastor was always present at these ceremonies.
The fact that Rola, as a woman, now has spiritual authority in a congregation that includes both men and women is something special. In the sacraments, marriage ceremonies and funerals, a man always had to be present as well, but now a man does not have to stand beside Pastor Rola. This is a seemingly small element of ministry, yet historically significant in a woman’s ministry.
Perhaps it is hard to grasp the significance of this “spiritual” detail at a time when debates about strengthening the role of women and gender equality center mainly on politics, the workplace or criminal justice systems. Some might ask what the spiritual dimension of priests and sacraments has in common with women’s rights?
In short, the question is about authority. The fact that a woman acquires “spiritual authority” has a special significance in the Lebanese (and Arab) context, where women (as human rights observers have put it) are “unequal and vulnerable”.
Rola understands that she lives in a patriarchal society and knows that she has an important mission – to set an example for young girls and women who will follow her path. Likewise, her ordination is without doubt significant in a context where women are regarded as lesser beings compared to men when it comes to performing specific tasks: in the theological sphere (the priesthood is for men only), in politics (an enormous male majority in both local and national government) and legally (discrimination against women exists in legislation).
In the life of the Church, women are regarded as important – from the veneration of Mary and the holy women in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, to the fact that Jesus, after his resurrection, chose to appear first to a woman.
What is interesting is that those churches in Lebanon that do not ordain women will point to the status of Mary – Theotokos (Mother of God), who in the Orthodox tradition is higher than the cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the seraphim. In Catholicism, the Mother of God is immediately after her Son, raised by divine grace above all angels and human beings.
But when we come to the day-to-day business of running the Church, it is men who hold the power and authority, based on the Catholic and Orthodox churches’ interpretation of Holy Scripture and their firm adherence to Holy Tradition.
On behalf of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has decided that the topic of women’s ordination is closed, referring to the apostolic letter issued by John Paul II in 1992, which asserts that ordination to the priesthood “in the Catholic Church, from the very beginning, has been reserved to men alone.”
As long as these churches do not understand the role of the priesthood alongside the question of “rights”, Rola’s ordination in Lebanon has a deeply symbolic meaning, because it touches on these sharp questions of tradition, rights and cultural relativism.
For indeed, arguments about tradition and cultural relativism are used to deny women and minorities rights that are universal. Human Rights Watch pointed this out in its 2013 report, applying it to the Arab world.
Finally, to a cynical eye, Rola’s ordination may seem merely marginal. The Presbyterian Church in Lebanon is a minority, and Rola’s ordination remains an exception rather than the norm, and will never be adopted in the wider context of the Catholic, Orthodox or Coptic churches in the region.
But that is no reason to cast a shadow over the historic event that took place on 26 February. Rola’s ordination is a welcome act that will hopefully have a positive impact on the hearts and minds of churchgoers, as well as on the citizens of Lebanon, who are not used to seeing a woman who has been given power – spiritual or temporal.
For Rola, in turn, it is all about the love of God. Rola goes on to say, “Christ is love, and love does not distinguish between men and women”.
When a journalist asked her how she sees her ordination in the context of a country where discrimination is widespread, Rola commented:
“If the Church discriminates against women, what then can we expect from the state?”
Article author: Halim Shebaya
Article in the original language (English)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arab-worlds-first-ordained-female-pastor-is-historic_us_58b732b1e4b0563cd36f643e (03/03/2017)
Photo: STV Scotland
Translated and paraphrased from English by LLSTA