June 3, 2011
Reviewed by The Rev. Dr. Francis C. Spataro
Director of the Vilatte Guild/Society of St. Cassian

The title of this fine book about women in the Church of Rome is very deceiving. What it's about is the ordination of women as priests and deacons. Jokingly conservative Catholic chauvanistic clergy are reputed to say that ordaining a women is like ordaining a lamppost!

The first part of the book is a review of just what is and where is the magisterium in the Church of Rome. It is with the Bishop of Rome. And Benedict XVI doesn't want women clergy in his church.

Dr. Zagano's previous books are: Holy Saturday:an argument for the restoration of the Female Diaconate in the Catholic Church (Crossroads,2000) and her most recent book from the Paulist Press:Women Deacons,Past,Present and Future, written together with Gary Macy and William Ditewig. Prof. Zagano teaches in the Dept of Religion of Hofstra and needless to say her recent "Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI" ( in the National Catholic Reporter) calling for the ordination of women deacons doesn't put her among the chosen elite of Catholic theologians.

The second part of her book tells the story of Archbishop Milingo's rebellion against Rome. This revolt hinges on two aspects: the integration of traditional African religion with Catholicism and his Married Priests Now prelature. In 692 AD the Council in Trullo became the second session of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. Its ecumenicity is without doubt. Its 6th Canon states:.....if anyone entering the clergy desire to be joined in law to a woman, he shall do this before his ordination as subdeacon or deacon or presbyter."

While this Canon has never been accepted by the Papal Church, it has always been in force within the Imperial Church, today represented by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Eastern Rites. When Archbishop Milingo was excommunicated by Rome, he still considered himself a believing Orthodox Catholic and, therefore, subject to the Canons of the Universal Church. So his establishment of Married Priests Now was in accordance with Canon Six of the Council in Trullo.

Much of Rome's antagonism against Milingo stems from European cultural prejudice against an uppity colonial. The Problem started with Polish missionaries in Zambia and has ended with a German Pope who's biased statements on non-European cultures has required him to apologize for his prejudices pronouncements.

The final section of the book deals with women ordained as priests either in the Czech Silent Church or on the Danube boat. In some cases the ladies are excommunicated while in others their ordination is accepted but they are requested not to exercise their sacramental ministry. This happened once before in early Church History when certain women prebyters and bishops in Sicily were asked by the Pope not to perform any sacramental acts. I feel that Prof. Zagano does herself a disservice by lumping together in this final section both women's ordination as priests and deacons. The former has no hope of ever being done while the latter due to history and the Ecumenical Councils does have a chance of seeing the light of day. It must be a veritable Via Crucis for Prof. Zagano to be a member of a Churchy which regards women as equivalent to a lamppost!

By way of post script my Kudos to Archbishop Peter Paul Brennan, Primate of the Order of Corporate Reunion for assisting Dr. Zagano with the section on Archbishop Milingo and Married Priests Now.

Order of Corporate Reunion