Abstract

The book edited by Zdeněk Jan¹ařík on Ludmila Javorová, published by Effatà in 2021, is an outstanding contribution to the “openµ discussion in the Catholic world on the female priesthood. Ludmila belonged to nucleus of women who were ordained in the years of the silent church and on whom, after the end of the regime, a sort of tombstone was placed. Javorová is the only one whose story is known today because, unlike the others who renounced it (whose names are not known today), she never wanted to erase the marks of the ministry she had received. We find in her preparation, as well as in her desire to be considered effectively as a priest, many traces of a deep and ancient feminine need that feminist theology is making re-emerge. We are talking about a feminine demand that runs through the history of Catholicism, which has become evident especially in contemporary times: the desire to be considered coessential in the life of the Church, even up to the ordained priesthood. This is a “wayµ to the female priesthood that we can define as not of a vindictive, but of a vocational nature.