Video summary
Bettany Hughes outlines the background to the debate on whether women can be priests or bishops.
She discusses with Joanna Bogle the argument that women cannot be priests.
Next she visits Fr. Scott Brodeur who trains men for the priesthood.
He discusses what is shown in St. Paul's letters.
He demonstrates the essential role of women in the early Church and the equality of men and women in Christianity.
Bettany enters the catacombs of St. Priscilla.
Here we are shown the evidence for women as leaders and priests in early Christianity.
This is from the series: Divine Women
Teacher Notes
Students could work in groups evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments put forward.
They may identify the different sources of authority used in the discussions.
Students could research independently other arguments advanced in the debate on women priests and evaluate them.
Through independent research, students might compare the relative positions of the Catholic and Anglican Churches.
This clip will be relevant for teaching Religious Studies at KS3, KS4, and GCSE in England and Northern Ireland.
Also at 3rd and 4th Level in Scotland.
This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, CCEA and SQA.
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