Question 15 - Veils in Church
Father, why must women wear a veil in church?
1- First of all, it is the command of Saint Paul: 1 Cor. 11, 5-15 : “Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. Any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head: she is like one who is shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, let her cut her hair too. Now, if it is ashamed of a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, let her veil herself. The man should not cover his head, because he is the image of the glory of God, while the woman is the glory of man. For the man was not taken from the woman, but the woman from the man; and man was not created for woman, but woman for man. This is why the woman must, because of the angels, have on her head a sign of subjection. However, neither the woman is without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord. For if the woman was taken from the man, then the man also is born of the woman, and all is of God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God without being veiled? Does not nature itself teach us that it is a shame for a man to wear long hair, while it is a glory to a woman to wear long hair, because the hair has been given as a veil? If anyone likes to challenge, we don't have that habit, neither do the Churches of God. ”
2- We read in the ecclesiastical annals that this commandment of Saint Paul was reiterated by the 2nd Pope, the first successor of Saint Peter, Saint Linus.
3- This obligation is found in the Code of Canon Law of the Church (Canon 1262, 2): "When they attend sacred functions, especially at Mass, either in church or outside, men must be uncovered, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, or usage requires them to remain covered; as for women, they must have their heads covered and be dressed modestly, especially when they approach the holy table. "
4- This obligation is recalled by Saint Charles Borromeo: "That women, whatever their state, their rank and their condition, under penalty of being barred from entering the church, come with their heads veiled ... material, which they must cover their heads in church, must not be light but thick, it must completely hide the hair…
5- We read in the life of Saint Vincent Ferrier, by the Genoese Taccheti, the miracles that the saint performed in Genoa. It also reads: "There he performed the greatest prodigy he may have ever had, and that was to uproot forever the abuse that reigns among women of going to church with their heads uncovered. »
6- In other words: when you go to church, you have to humble yourself before God. Traditionally, a man humbles himself by uncovering himself and a woman by covering herself up.
