These arguments are all interesting and valid points, however I would like to submit for your consideration evidence to support the continued exclusion of women priests. For example I begin by disputing the contention that Jesus did not discriminate between the roles of women and men. The fact that Jesus did not chose any women, as his disciple is strong evidence. As Metropolitan Emilianos Timiadis states, " Christ did not chose women because in His time the dignity to women was not considered as being equal with that of men" (47). And since we know Christ did not hesitate to go against public opinion as demonstrated when he choose to eat with sinners, call himself the Master of the Sabbath and speak to the Samaritan women of whom he asked for water. So it seems that if he would have wanted to go against the social norms of the times and include women as members of His disciples, he would have done so. "Christ gave to His life and to His deeds symbolic value, and His people saw his miracles as signs. He wished Mary to be His mother (not his disciple), and the mother of all time of His body" (Timiadis 47). Men and women may be equal in that they are creatures of God, but there is a fundamental difference in their roles. Dr. Arthur Kennedy concluded at the Symposium on Dacem in Terris that, .
"I do not think Pope John is suggesting the kind of equalizing of the sexes which has been proposed in this country, the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the federal constitution. It would be an unfortunate constitutional change, because putting the sexes on an absolutely.
equal basis, the Amendment would remove the special protection in the law which women now have and which I don't see how they can get along without"(Fitzgerald 33).
If there is no evidence that Christ excluded women from the Church why then does the symbol of the male represent salvation? "Grace is made present through the priest which symbolically represents Christ" (St.