A priest in Italy proved he has a truly abysmal grasp of Catholic theology by suggesting that churches should place a “baby girl Jesus” in Nativity scenes because, according to him, God could have chosen to incarnate as a woman. Father Vitaliano Della Sala made the comments while he did an interview with a local television station.
First off, Jesus could not have incarnated as a woman and fulfilled the redemptive work necessary to save the souls of humankind. Adam introduced sin into the world when he took the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yes, the serpent deceived Eve first and Adam took the fruit from her, but God placed the man as the head over Eve, so his failure to protect her from the serpent and his indulgence in sinful rebellion plunged humanity into darkness.
Since a man—the head of creation who represented all humanity—caused the fall, we needed a new and better Adam to succeed where he failed and redeem mankind. Jesus had to come as a biological male. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. A priest who supposedly went to seminary to prepare for ordination should understand this very basic and fundamental aspect of theology. His failure to do so is shameful and scandalous.
Father Della Sala made the atrocious comment to provoke reflection on the role of women in the Church and to call for allowing women to enter the priesthood. Again, he displays horrific theological error. Priests must be men because they stand in for the person of Jesus Christ during the Mass and confession. Jesus appointed only men to the priesthood before His ascension to the Father. Again, this is basic Church teaching.
“If I need to send a message within the Church, there is a great injustice, namely that women cannot access the priesthood. I was thinking of having a baby girl Jesus born, to say that if Jesus was born male, this does not mean He privileged us men and excluded the possibility of women becoming deacons, priests and—why not?—even bishops,” Della Sala said during the interview.
According to LifeSiteNews:
In the interview, the priest clarified that his proposal would “re-interpret” the Christian message in light of what he considers an unresolved issue in ecclesial life—namely, the impossibility for women to enter the ordained ministries. He described placing a female figure in the manger as a deliberately symbolic act intended to provoke reflection and debate.
The priest also said he received numerous criticisms from other clergymen, who strongly condemned his initiative: “They are priests who envy me! The provocation is positive. I don’t get anything from it,” he claimed.
And the blasphemy and sacrilege didn’t end there. He later claimed that people could tear the “baby girl Jesus” figure to shreds to symbolize children who have suffered violence around the world, such as those who died in Gaza and Ukraine. Yikes.
Fr. Della Sala has a history of stirring up controversy with Nativity scenes. In 2023, he caused a stir by presenting a display featuring two mothers at the manger, with one wearing a rainbow-colored veil.
The LifeSite report also referenced a document Pope Leo XIV recently published on the role of women in the Church:
On December 4, Pope Leo XIV published the Summary of the Study Commission on the role of women in the Church. The document confirmed the current rule: the diaconate remains reserved to men only. However, the debate continues because two interpretations of the diaconate now dominate in the Church: as a community service in which women could participate, or as the first step toward sacramental priesthood, which Tradition and doctrine reserve to men.
The bottom line here is simple: If we want to preserve the teaching of Sacred Scripture and Tradition, the priesthood and diaconate must remain for men only. On top of that, Church leaders need to rein in priests like Fr. Della Sala before they inflict further damage on the Body of Christ.
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