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On Thursday, October 17, 2024, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests ordained six 4 women and 2 transgender persons on the Tiber as a prophetic witness that gender equality in ordained ministries is a reality now. Our movement, which I call a holy shakeup, is a spiritual revolution that is bringing new life and inclusivity to the Roman Catholic Church was covered by international media from France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy and the United States.
So, it should come as no surprise that Mary Theresa Streck and I were stopped by the Roman Police and Vatican guards as we entered St. Peter’s Square for the Canonization Mass of eleven martyrs on the following Sunday. A security guard approached me and said: Are you Bridget Mary Meehan? Suddenly, we were surrounded by several guards with badges, some of whom, were in uniforms. They asked for our passports and examined our bags. WE noticed that no one else was detained. They did not ask us any questions and assured us sometimes they do enhanced checks. I noticed that one official in the group was speaking to someone on the telephone. I wondered who he was speaking to and what was being said!. Finally, after about 25 minutes, one of the security guards escorted us to our seats. Obviously, someone approved of our attendance and the canonization liturgy was beautiful. In the end, we enjoyed seeing Pope Francis riding around the Square in his pope mobile!
On Friday, we gathered at the Jesuit center in Rome for a book signing of Rev. Jim Martin’s new book, Lazarus, Come Forth. I asked Fr. Jim if he would share our request for a conversation in the Spirit with Pope Francis in the coming Jubilee Year. He assured me that he would do so and asked that I send a formal request directly to the Pope which we did.
While Pope Francis is not comfortable ordaining women as deacons, the Synod on Synodality voted by a two-thirds majority to keep the ordination of women deacons on the table for ongoing discernment. In their words: “the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open. This discernment needs to continue.”
The synod calls for greater involvement of women in the church, in decision-making. “There is no reason or impediment that should prevent women from carrying out leadership roles in the Church,” …what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.”
And this is where I stand in faith, hope and love!
Indeed, nothing will stop the global movement toward gender equity- including our movement for gender equality in ordained ministries. We are walking in the footsteps of Rabbi Jesus who invited everyone to an open table of outpouring of love for all people and all creation.
I believe that what has been missing in the discernment process on women deacons is a conversation in the Spirit with Roman Catholic Women Priests on our 22 years of ministerial experience in fostering a church in which all are welcome to receive and celebrate sacraments including the divorced and remarried and LGBTQ+. We have grown from 7 to over 270 ordained ministers who are serving people-empowered, non-clerical sacramental communities of equals in 14 countries around the world.
Our holy shakeup is a spiritual revolution, that is building builds bridges of compassion and reconciliation by making connections between hurting hearts and broken spirits at the disengaged edges of Catholicism to create what Pope Francis calls a “church for everyone.”
We are prophets of the future engaged in the work of justice, inclusivity equality, and evolutionary openness to growth.
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