One of the most controversial issues facing Christianity is the admission of women to the priesthood. One side says that to deny half the members of the Church the priesthood injures the Church. The other maintains that the male priesthood was ordained when Jesus Christ summoned 12 men as his Apostles.

The Roman Catholic Church has resisted efforts made for years, mostly by its American bishops, to lift restrictions against women. The Vatican has stated, "The problem of the admission of women to the ministerial priesthood touches the very nature of the sacrament of priestly orders." The Church of England in a close vote discarded the rule that only men may serve as priests.

The Anglican Church in the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand allows female priests, and most Protestant denominations do also. The large Southern Baptist Convention has a few female pastors, mostly in small parishes. Fundamentalists within the Convention oppose the practice.

After a lengthy study of the issue, American Catholic bishops decided not to take a position on the matter. Rembert G. Weakland, Archbishop of Milwaukee, said the decision "undermines the Church's credibility and jeopardizes its ability to attract the next generation of worshippers." He said that if the door remains closed to discussion, the consequences will include "preparing to live in a church of reduced size, for many women and men would say goodbye to a church they feel is out of touch with the world... The Church would be seen as hypocritical."

Weakland called for the Church to "keep the doors open to further discussion and continue the important, even if painful, dialogue between the Church's tradition and modern insights."

The ordination of women and the celibate priesthood came under increased attention beginning in 2002, when many parishioners challenged historic church positions in the face of pedophilia among the clergy.

One of the opponents of ordaining women, Women for Faith and Family in St. Louis, says that the ordination of women would disregard tradition and cause dissension within the Church. Advocates of women in the priesthood take issue with the concept that Jesus and the church are bridegroom and bride, and thus only men can represent Jesus in the mass.

Using the same logic, say supporters of women as priests, the Church should ordain only Jews as priests because all of Jesus' disciples were Jews.

The issue of ordaining women (along with married clergy) gained attention in 2002 when the Church came under attack for the sexual activities of its priests, some of whom engaged in pedophilia.

Make a search to provide recent background for an article on what various denominations are doing and blend it with how local churches treat the issue. Do any Protestant denominations have female pastors? What is the situation in local synagogues?