"Open Letter To Each Newly Appointed Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church" /Why are there no women cardinals?

From: Woman’s Ordination Worldwide

We are representatives of a network of organizations whose aim it is to see women and men sharing fully together in all ordained ministries within our Roman Catholic Church. On their behalf we congratulate you on your elevation to the position of Cardinal. We respect and celebrate your service, past and present, to the Universal Church, and wish you a fruitful term of service in your new role.

We ask you to consider our distressing situation. As your names were announced, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, stated that “the list of new cardinals reflects the universality of the Church, as they come from various parts of the world and carry out different tasks." Sadly, we cannot share that view. We fail to see the universality of the Church reflected in a College of Cardinals which does not include the name of a single woman, as women constitute half the baptized members of the Church. Surely women and men together form the universality of the Church?

Without women among your number, you will struggle in the modern world to complete the task which the Holy Father has set before you “of assisting the Successor of the Apostle Peter in accomplishing his mission of perpetual and visible source and foundation of unity of the faith and communion in the Church”. Without women in formal roles of authority the Church is incomplete and damaged.

As advisor to the Holy Father, in your function as Cardinal, we hope and pray that you can and will work towards ending this invisibility of women at the highest levels of the church. We call upon the intercession of Mary, blessed Mother of God, to assist you in this task.

Yours in Christ,

Soirse Ben

Erin Saiz Hanna

Colette Joyce

Mary Ann M. Schoettly

Pope creates 24 new cardinals amid cheers

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

EXCERPTS

"This is the third time Benedict has held a consistory to create new cardinals. With Saturday's additions, he will have hand-picked 40 percent of the college, infusing it with conservative, tradition-minded prelates like himself and almost ensuring that a future pope will carry on the path he has set out for the church.

During a day of reflection on Friday, cardinals new and old discussed some of the most pressing issues of concern to the church, including the sex abuse scandal."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:

If women are created as equals, and the church teaches that baptism makes us equal, then why are women excluded from the most important leadership positions in the Roman Catholic Church? The answer is men can receive seven sacraments and women can receive six sacraments. Church law ties ordination and decision-making in the church. Catholics worldwide should stand up to gender apatheid. Pope Benedic,t united with the whole church, including the new 42 cardinals should follow Jesus' example who chose women as disciples and equals, and who chose Mary of Magdala to be the first witness to the Resurrection and as the apostle to the apostles. St. Paul praised the woman apostle Junia in Roman 16. There is a depiction of Episcopa (bishop)Theodora in St. Praxeids Church. According to the Old Irish Life of St. Brigit, she was ordained a bishop. Historians tell us that for twelve hundred years women were ordained. One wonders why the institutional church in the 21st century still treats women as second class citizens. The new cardinals should advise Pope Benedict to reclaim our ancient heritage of women in ordained ministry serving the people of God. Roman Catholic Women Priests are leading the way to a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals. Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP, sofiabmm@aol.com