Czechia's Old Catholic Church will ordain women as priests for the first time

The Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic is set to ordain two women as priests, marking a historic step in the church's traditions. The ordination ceremony is scheduled to take place today at the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence on Petřín Hill in Prague.

This significant move comes after the Old Catholic Church approved the ordination of women to all levels of church posts, including deacons, priests, and bishops, in October of last year.

The two candidates, Darina Bártová from the Prague parish and Noemi Kosourová from the Havlíčkův Brod parish, are currently serving as deaconesses. They both possess appropriate theological education and have successfully completed the required examinations before the synod's theological commission.

The Old Catholic Church, acknowledging the historic nature of women's priesthood, sees no compelling reasons to deny this opportunity to female candidates.

"In the history of the church, the priesthood of women is perhaps something unusual, but our church does not find sufficiently valid reasons to deny this possibility to half of the baptized," states Bishop Pavel Benedikt Stránský.

Noemi Kosourová, a 46-year-old deacon, not only possesses theological education but also holds qualifications in the field of social care and nursing. Her experience includes working as a nurse in a surgical department at the Hospital Church of the Merciful Sisters of Saint Karla Boromejský in Prague. She has been a member of the Havlíčkův Brod parish since 2000.

Darina Bártová, 58 years old and a deacon, has a background in chemistry and technology with a doctorate in technical cybernetics. Since 1988, she has been involved in mathematical modeling and education at the Technical University of Applied Sciences, including theological instruction. She has been part of the Mary Magdalene parish in Prague since 2008.

To engage in theological dialogue on women's priesthood, the Old Catholic Church is publishing a collection of texts titled Ordained: The Priesthood of Women in the Reflection of Old Catholic Theology. This anthology will be introduced during today's church service in Prague.

Petr Jan Vinš, the editor of the collection, emphasizes that both Old Catholic and Anglican theologies have explored the question of women's priesthood over several decades and have concluded that there are no fundamental biblical or theological reasons to prevent women from receiving priestly or episcopal ordination.

The Old Catholic Church, officially established in Czech lands since 1877, also provides pastoral care to Anglican believers. The merger of the Old Catholic and Anglican churches in 1931 solidified this collaborative relationship.

While the Roman Catholic Church is the country's most populous denomination with 741,000 registered members, the Old Catholic Church also holds a place of significance in the Czech religious landscape.