ordination

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Religious ceremony by which a person is accepted into the priesthood or monastic life in various religions. Within the Christian church, ordination authorizes a person to administer the sacraments.

Ordination of women
Many Protestant denominations, such as the Methodists and Baptists, ordain women as ministers, as do many churches in the Anglican communion. In 1988, the first female bishop was elected within the Anglican communion (in Massachusetts, USA). The Anglican Church in England and Australia voted in favour of the ordination of women priests in November 1992, and the first women priests were ordained in England in 1994. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches refuse to ordain women.

Red symbolizes the fire from Iceland's volcanos. White represents ice. Blue stands for the mountains. Effective date: 19 June 1915. >>