With the apostolic letter of Pope John II "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis" (1994), the Magisterium of the Catholic Church has presented the tradition of conferring Holy Orders on men only -- a tradition shared with the Orthodox Churches -- as an expression of divine revelation and hence as a doctrine that binds in faith. This makes clear that the Church's practice in this regard cannot be interpreted as a concession to the customs of an age, for instance, to a discrimination against women on sociological grounds. The Church's teaching is founded, rather, upon a theology of the sexes, which is based on the relationship of man and woman originating in creation itself. This relationship is sanctified to the utmost in the Sacrament of Matrimony, as the concrete symbol of God's love for mankind. God's own self-communication is inscribed in this marital consecration when Christ, being the representative of the Father, presents himself as the Bridegroom of the Church, his Bride.