"...Finally, in the perverse pantheon of reactionary men
in robes, we have God’s Rottweiler, as Pope Benedict is known. He welcomed
Easter by sitting on a golden throne and denouncing the “disobedience” of
Catholic priests who want the decaying, ingrown institution that sheltered so
many abusive priests to let in some fresh air and allow female and married
priests, as well as Holy Communion for Catholics who have remarried without an
annulment.
“It seemed like a bitter statement,” said Kenneth
Briggs, the author of “Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church’s Betrayal
of American Nuns.” “It further erodes, almost tragically, the respect for the
papacy because it looks like what you want is institutional conformity rather
than obedience to the Gospel.”
The message of Jesus, after all, is not about
exclusion, but inclusion...
The Rev. Alberto Cutié, the handsome Miami priest who
defected to become an Episcopal priest when he fell in love and married a woman
from his parish, found the pope’s timing ironic.
“They say women can’t be priests because Jesus only
called men to be apostles,” he said. “But the women close to Jesus were the
first witnesses of the resurrection. When the men were afraid and hidden, the
women went to the tomb and said, ‘Jesus is risen!’ If Easter is the most
important part of Christianity, the first to proclaim the message were women.
Who could make more effective preachers?”
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