Can someone clear up the use of the word *priest* for me?

[Misfitless]

Just been lurking on another thread, where people are referring to women priests.

I thought that priests were Catholic, and so that there was no such thing as a woman priest.

I've often wondered this, and am probably wrong. So clear this one up for me if you can, please.

Hi, I don't think the terms are specifically defined anymore. My dad was a vicar but also the Parish Priest and a Reverend. All basically the same thing.

Ah, OK, thanks.

The terms are a bit more precisely defined, but they're used in not very precise ways.

In the Church of England as well as in the Catholic Church, people are ordained as priests. Some priests will be happy to call themselves priests, but some (usually in the more evangelical parts of the church) will not be happy with that term and may call themselves minster or pastor. Nonconformists such as Baptists and independent free churches normally use minister or pastor -- they wouldn't use priest at all because it's associated with the Catholic tradition.

Vicar (and Rector) are specific to the Church of England. They are titles that come from the way that tithes used to be paid in the olden days. Some places have vicars, increasingly these days the title will be priest-in-charge.

So vicar is about the parish that you're serving in, but priest (or minister, or pastor) is about what you are.

The term priest is not specific to the Roman Catholic Church. Ordained ministers in the Church of England (and some other Churches) are priests, though not all will be happy to use that term. Vicar or Rector is related to the office held. And some priests are definitely women!

I thought the same as you but a c of e priest but me right recently with the same info as above

Oh dear, cross-posted! Must learn to think and type more quickly!

Thanks everyone!

and then methodist ones have a different name (now where did i leave my nouns)

I'm a methodist, we call them ministers. We had women ministers back in the 1960's. We also have a tradition of local preachers, many of whom are women. It came as a great shock to me when I learnt that Catholics and until recently the C of E didn't admit women as ministers!

Oh also, I think the word 'priest' comes from the latin for bridge. All priests, ministers, vicars, rectors, women included are supposed to create a bridge between wo(man) and God when they are delivering a Service.

We're baptist and have a pastor.

Used to be Anglican and had a priest there - his choice, he was also called a Rector.

In my head priests are Catholic but I understand that the Anglican friends have them too - I was recently at my best friend's "priesting" in the Scottish Episcopal church (Anglican) a year after she was ordained (she's a bit unusual, a pt social worker, pt priest and pt PhD student!

Pagans also use the term "priest" or "priestess" to describe certain roles. Some believe that we are all our own "priests" or "priestesses" as we do not need an intermediary to act between ourselves and our Gods.

titabeth: theologically the priest may create a bridge between God and his people. But the word priest comes from the latin 'presbyter', meaning priest, which is in turn derived from the Greek 'presbyos', meaning 'elder'.

titabeth: think you are thinking of the word pontiff (often used to refer to the pope, but actually meaning 'bishop'), which in Latin is 'pontifex' - bridge-maker.