Fr. Roy holds cup at ordination
of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in
Aug. 2008
Article by Laurie Goodstein/NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/us/09priest.html?_r=1
..."Father Bourgeois has gone further than any other priest in good standing to ally himself publicly with the growing women’s ordination movement. The group Roman Catholic Womenpriests claims to have ordained 120 women as priests and 10 as bishops in the last few years. The Vatican regards the ceremonies as illicit and invalid. Father Bourgeois participated in one such ceremony in 2008, and since then has given speeches around the country in support of female priests. "
“They want two words: I recant,” Father Bourgeois said. “And they can’t get that out of me. For me, the real scandal is the message we are sending to women: you’re not equal, you cannot be priests, you’re not worthy.”
All Voices -Global News article:
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9896197-removal-threatened-for-catholic-priest-who-supports-womens-ordination
Under pressure from the Vatican in Rome, the Maryknoll Catholic religious order has given notice to Fr. Roy Bourgeois that he will be dismissed from the order and his priesthood because he does not recant his support for women priests. Prior to the action, Fr. Roy had responded to the "second cannonical warning" that threatened this move with this statement: "As people of faith we believe in the primacy of conscience. Our conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do what is right, what is just. What you are asking me to do in your letter is not possible without betraying my conscience. In essence, you are telling me to lie. This I cannot do, therefore I will not recant. I firmly believe that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, against our Church, and against our God."
Fr. Roy's lawyer had asked the public to manifest support of the priest by contacting the Superior General of the Maryknoll Order, Father Ed DoughertyEd Dougherty, asking him not to expel Father Roy Bourgeois for advocating for women priests. However, that effort was fruitless. Bourgeois' case will now move to the Vatican which will process his formal removal from the priesthood, known as laicization.
Hundreds of priests had publicly supported Father Roy’s right to speak his conscience. Thousands more women and men across the world support this issue and Father Roy as well. The Women's Ordination Conference continues to urge Bourgeois' supporters to sign their online petition as a means of expressing their support.
A sampling of statements supportive of Bourgeois from prominent Catholics includes the following:
"The culture of bullying within the Catholic Church cannot be tolerated any longer," said Erin Hanna, Executive Director of the Women's Ordination Conference. "It is contrary to the gospel itself to bully and dismiss faithful priests who dare to break the silence in support of women's rightful role in the Church."
"JesusJesus himself welcomed women as well as men into ministerial leadership," said Jim FitzGerald, Call To Action's Executive Director. "It is a shame our Church does not do likewise."
"The Vatican does not excommunicate the pedophile-priests who have raped and sodomized Catholic youth, or punish the bishops who covered up these crimes. Yet, now in this outrageous action they stand ready to defrock Fr. Roy, priest of the people and prophet for justice who has served God for over 40 years as a well-known peace and justice activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee," said Bridget Mary Meehan, from the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.
Suzanne Thiel of Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA affirmed: "Regardless of personal consequences, Fr. Roy refuses to be cowed by men who support an unjust law that knowingly discriminates against half the Body of Christ. He sees the face of Jesus in his sisters."
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