Donne e ordine. Note sull’uso di Tommaso d’Aquino nei documenti del magistero: un contributo alla storicizzazione

The theme of woman’s ordination is once again an object of discussion within the Church. One of the foundations on which the refusal of the extension of the sacrament of Holy Orders to women rests is the interpretation of St. Thomas Aquinas’ doctrine as proposed in the document Inter insigniores, which questions the capacity of the female nature to be an adequate signum. After an analysis of the arguments put forth in the document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, this study reexamines Aquinas’ position from a historical-critical point of view, contextualizing it within an articulated theological discussion which traces its origins as far back as the 12th century.