Friday, May 13, 2011
By Bryan Cones
US Catholic
"Though I hesitate to comment on the removal of Toowoomba Bishop William Morris, Megan won't let me get away with it. The newest Catholic News Service story on the drama notes that the Vatican has been trying to get Morris to resign for years. But it's still hard to figure out exactly what Morris was removed for. He didn't ordain a woman, marry a same-sex couple, desecrate the Eucharist or anything else that might have resulted in an immediate action. Most commentators have focused on Morris' 2006 pastoral letter in which Morris proposed some possibilities to the shortage of priests in his diocese, including expressing openness to the ordination of women "if Rome would permit it." The pope's own correspondence with Morris suggests that it was this questioning of what the pope refers to as an infallible teaching as the trigger for Morris' removal.
And there's the rub: When John Paul II ruled out the ordination of women in Ordinatio sacerdotalis, he used the expression "definitive," but did not use the formula that would signal an infallible teaching; in fact the word "infallible" doesn't appear anywhere in the document. (These documents are carefully crafted. "Infallible is missing for a reason.) Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect for the Congregation for the doctrine of the Faith, argued in a response to a question about Ordinatio sacerdotalis that the teaching was part of the "deposit of faith" and therefore an infallible teaching of the "ordinary and universal magisterium"--although he knows full well that's not how infalliblility works; something can't be declared infallible by a Vatican office. Canonists and theologians the world over argued that the teaching was not infallible for a variety of reasons. Still, Ratzinger, now as pope, is pushing this kind of back-door infallibility on the question, as John Allen at NCR pointed out in a recent piece on the controversy surrounding what many call "creeping infallibility."
Living Gospel Inclusivity and Empowerment Now- https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/10/rev-dr-bridget-mary-meehan-arcwp-chat.html
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
German Catholics Call for Reform, Many Leaving
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/REL_RELIGION_TODAY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
May 25, 1:20 PM EDT
German Catholics call for reform, many leaving
By MELISSA EDDY Associated Press
EXCERPTS:
German theologians and others have aired their discontent in a series of petitions to church leaders calling for changes including more transparency, an end to celibacy, and women's ordination.
The Vatican has not responded to the petitions, but the German Bishops Conference sought to address the issue in March by announcing a series of platforms for dialogue "aimed at giving our church in Germany a theological profile and sense of cohesion in this new century."
"The church is no longer speaks to the people. I don't feel that it speaks to me, I don't feel comfortable with these traditions that date back centuries," said an administrator who works in the Augsburg dioceses, but refused to give his name for fear that he would be fired for criticizing the church.
Bridget Mary's Blog
Perhaps, the German Bishops Conference will start a "dialogue" that will lead the Vatican to finally "get it" about how out of touch they are with the needs of God's people today. Of course, empty pews are sending a message. Let's hope that Pope Benedict tunes in. Notice that women's ordination is on the German agenda. The first 7 women priests were ordained in 2002 on the Danube.
Bridget Mary Meehan RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
May 25, 1:20 PM EDT
German Catholics call for reform, many leaving
By MELISSA EDDY Associated Press
EXCERPTS:
German theologians and others have aired their discontent in a series of petitions to church leaders calling for changes including more transparency, an end to celibacy, and women's ordination.
The Vatican has not responded to the petitions, but the German Bishops Conference sought to address the issue in March by announcing a series of platforms for dialogue "aimed at giving our church in Germany a theological profile and sense of cohesion in this new century."
"The church is no longer speaks to the people. I don't feel that it speaks to me, I don't feel comfortable with these traditions that date back centuries," said an administrator who works in the Augsburg dioceses, but refused to give his name for fear that he would be fired for criticizing the church.
Bridget Mary's Blog
Perhaps, the German Bishops Conference will start a "dialogue" that will lead the Vatican to finally "get it" about how out of touch they are with the needs of God's people today. Of course, empty pews are sending a message. Let's hope that Pope Benedict tunes in. Notice that women's ordination is on the German agenda. The first 7 women priests were ordained in 2002 on the Danube.
Bridget Mary Meehan RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Why Not Ordain Women? --Continuing the Conversation between Sara Butler and Robert J.Egan
http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/women-priesthood-0
(I recommend reading the entire essay on this link above)
July 18, 2008
Continuing the Conversation
Women & the Priesthood
Sara Butler Robert J. Egan
Sara Butler
"Why not ordain women? In the April 11 issue of Commonweal, Robert J. Egan, SJ, invites readers to look again at this question. Egan doubts that “the tradition of excluding women from the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopate” has “really been faithful to the teaching and practice of Jesus.” In his opinion, the tradition probably rests instead on “a mostly unexamined and partially unconscious bias for subjecting women to men’s authority and power.” Until the church honestly faces “the whole truth about our history,” he writes, Catholic women will continue to suffer a grave injustice...
..."Egan develops his argument in response to my effort to set out the logic of the church’s teaching in The Catholic Priesthood and Women (2007). He acknowledges the force of a distinction the magisterium draws between the “fundamental reasons” for the tradition of reserving priestly ordination to men and the theological arguments advanced, by way of the analogy of faith, to explain why it is “fitting...."
"What are these fundamental reasons? According to Inter insigniores (1976), the church relies on the constant and universal tradition of reserving priestly ordination to men, a tradition it traces to Jesus’ example of choosing only men to belong to the Twelve, finds confirmed in the practice of the Apostles, and has always recognized as normative for the ministerial priesthood. In Ordinatio sacerdotalis (1994), Pope John Paul II likewise traces the tradition to the will of Christ, known by way of his choice of twelve men. He elaborates this point by underlining Jesus’ freedom from convention in relating to women—a freedom Egan does not think Jesus really had—and by describing more fully the biblical testimony regarding his call and commission of the Apostles. John Paul asserts, for example, that Jesus appointed these twelve men to represent him, and that the ministry committed to them was not entrusted to all of the baptized.
The idea that Christ’s will for the ministerial priesthood can be known by way of his choice of men and not women to belong to the Twelve is not new. It has often been included, along with appeals to the teaching of St. Paul, among the reasons advanced by theologians for reserving the priesthood to men. Its chief patristic warrant comes from the late fourth-century bishop St. Epiphanius of Salamis, who found evidence of the Lord’s will in the fact that he called no woman to belong to the Twelve, and that no woman was appointed to succeed the apostles as bishop or presbyter. Epiphanius is confident that if Jesus did not entrust sacerdotal functions to women, it was not for lack of worthy candidates, since he had his own mother and many holy women in his company. And yet he did not call women to this office. As the author of human nature, he knew best how to assign responsibilities in his community. The “Marian” version of this reasoning, long influential in the East, was reformulated in the West by Pope Innocent III in 1210 and passed along in the canonical tradition on which Scholastic theologians relied: “Although the Blessed Virgin Mary was of higher dignity and excellence than all the Apostles, it was to them, not her, that the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
"...Egan faults me for not fully facing up to the objections he raises, but his objections extend far beyond my brief in The Catholic Priesthood and Women. My objective was to explain why the Catholic Church reserves priestly ordination to men, not to defend the existence of the ministerial priesthood. This I take for granted. In fact, I regard it as required by Catholic faith that Jesus’ intention for this apostolic ministry is known by way of the mission he gave the Twelve, and that this office is passed on in apostolic succession by means of the sacrament of Holy Orders. This doctrine was reaffirmed and enriched at the Second Vatican Council (see Lumen gentium 18-28) and in the teaching of the postconciliar magisterium. Ordinatio sacerdotalis requires Catholics to hold that the church has no authority “to confer priestly ordination on women”—that is, to ordain women as presbyters or bishops, the two degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders that comprise the “ministerial priesthood.” (In my book, I consistently refer to “the priesthood” rather than to “Holy Orders” or “ordained ministry,” because I intend to bracket the question of the diaconate.) ...
Robert J. Egan
"My article also ended with a question: “Has the tradition of excluding women from the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopacy really been faithful to the teaching and practice of Jesus? Or has it been part of a mostly unexamined and partially unconscious bias for subjecting women to men’s authority and power?” This was not a conclusion, but a question: “a very important question,” one that “urgently needs and deserves an open, prayerful, learned, patient, and discerning conversation among Catholics today.” ...
"... I reported that the inferiority of women to men and their subjection to the authority of men (taken for granted throughout most of the church’s history) was the explanation often given for their exclusion from ordained ministry
http://www.archny.org/seminary/st-josephs-seminary-dunwoodie/administration/sister-sara-butler/something no one denies. Whether or not it was the main factor that dictated this exclusion is a question I suggested deserves prayerful discussion among us.
.."We know there were different forms of governance and types of ministry in the early Christian communities. There was no single structure, the same in every place. It isn’t my opinion but our common faith that the church’s life unfolds under the influence of the Spirit. It seems apparent that different kinds of assistance, leadership, and service evolved gradually, and only gradually became identified with particular offices, and subsequently with “priesthood.” But during these developments, references were, in fact, being made to several key biblical passages that became influential, including references to the commissioning of the Twelve. "
"To make all this an issue about me is misleading. None of this discussion is a personal idiosyncrasy on my part. It reflects aspects of the work—not just of Anglicans and Protestants—but of many Catholic scholars as well, including Paul Bernier, Raymond E. Brown, John J. Burkhard, John N. Collins, Bernard Cooke, Alexandre Faivre, Richard R. Gaillardetz, Daniel J. Harrington, Richard P. McBrien, John P. Meier, Nathan D. Mitchell, Thomas F. O’Meara, Kenan B. Osborne, Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx, Carroll Stuhlmueller, and Francis A. Sullivan, among others. In particular, important work has been done in recent years on the meaning of “the Twelve,” the distinct category of “apostles,” and the origins and development of the roles of presbyter, overseer, and deacon, much of it in the years since the promulgation of Inter insigniores (1976). It is, I believe, mainly Butler’s neglect of this literature that is at the heart of the conflict between us. "
..." As a Catholic theologian and a Jesuit, I do not dispute the sacramentality of ordination, the idea of apostolic succession, the hierarchical structure of the church, the role of tradition and the magisterium in the interpretation of Scripture, or the teaching authority of the church, although I think commanding the assent of the faithful is unlikely to produce fruitful results in our present situation.
..."The church’s understanding and teaching has developed over two millennia. On some subjects it has remained substantially the same. On others, it has changed dramatically, in ways that could not have been foreseen: on slavery, women’s inferiority, the divine right of kings, the uses of torture, the status and dignity of the Jewish people, the execution of heretics, the idea of religious liberty, the moral legitimacy of democratic governments, the indispensability of Thomism, and the structure of the universe itself. New questions arise, and new horizons open, cultures themselves are transformed, and the fund of human knowledge changes... "
Sr. Sara Butler, MSBT, teaches at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Her Cardinal Cooke Lecture on the subject of the ministerial priesthood is available on her faculty page.
about the writer
Robert J. Egan, SJ, a frequent contributor to Commonweal, teaches theology and spirituality at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
(I recommend reading the entire essay on this link above)
July 18, 2008
Continuing the Conversation
Women & the Priesthood
Sara Butler Robert J. Egan
Sara Butler
"Why not ordain women? In the April 11 issue of Commonweal, Robert J. Egan, SJ, invites readers to look again at this question. Egan doubts that “the tradition of excluding women from the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopate” has “really been faithful to the teaching and practice of Jesus.” In his opinion, the tradition probably rests instead on “a mostly unexamined and partially unconscious bias for subjecting women to men’s authority and power.” Until the church honestly faces “the whole truth about our history,” he writes, Catholic women will continue to suffer a grave injustice...
..."Egan develops his argument in response to my effort to set out the logic of the church’s teaching in The Catholic Priesthood and Women (2007). He acknowledges the force of a distinction the magisterium draws between the “fundamental reasons” for the tradition of reserving priestly ordination to men and the theological arguments advanced, by way of the analogy of faith, to explain why it is “fitting...."
"What are these fundamental reasons? According to Inter insigniores (1976), the church relies on the constant and universal tradition of reserving priestly ordination to men, a tradition it traces to Jesus’ example of choosing only men to belong to the Twelve, finds confirmed in the practice of the Apostles, and has always recognized as normative for the ministerial priesthood. In Ordinatio sacerdotalis (1994), Pope John Paul II likewise traces the tradition to the will of Christ, known by way of his choice of twelve men. He elaborates this point by underlining Jesus’ freedom from convention in relating to women—a freedom Egan does not think Jesus really had—and by describing more fully the biblical testimony regarding his call and commission of the Apostles. John Paul asserts, for example, that Jesus appointed these twelve men to represent him, and that the ministry committed to them was not entrusted to all of the baptized.
The idea that Christ’s will for the ministerial priesthood can be known by way of his choice of men and not women to belong to the Twelve is not new. It has often been included, along with appeals to the teaching of St. Paul, among the reasons advanced by theologians for reserving the priesthood to men. Its chief patristic warrant comes from the late fourth-century bishop St. Epiphanius of Salamis, who found evidence of the Lord’s will in the fact that he called no woman to belong to the Twelve, and that no woman was appointed to succeed the apostles as bishop or presbyter. Epiphanius is confident that if Jesus did not entrust sacerdotal functions to women, it was not for lack of worthy candidates, since he had his own mother and many holy women in his company. And yet he did not call women to this office. As the author of human nature, he knew best how to assign responsibilities in his community. The “Marian” version of this reasoning, long influential in the East, was reformulated in the West by Pope Innocent III in 1210 and passed along in the canonical tradition on which Scholastic theologians relied: “Although the Blessed Virgin Mary was of higher dignity and excellence than all the Apostles, it was to them, not her, that the Lord entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
"...Egan faults me for not fully facing up to the objections he raises, but his objections extend far beyond my brief in The Catholic Priesthood and Women. My objective was to explain why the Catholic Church reserves priestly ordination to men, not to defend the existence of the ministerial priesthood. This I take for granted. In fact, I regard it as required by Catholic faith that Jesus’ intention for this apostolic ministry is known by way of the mission he gave the Twelve, and that this office is passed on in apostolic succession by means of the sacrament of Holy Orders. This doctrine was reaffirmed and enriched at the Second Vatican Council (see Lumen gentium 18-28) and in the teaching of the postconciliar magisterium. Ordinatio sacerdotalis requires Catholics to hold that the church has no authority “to confer priestly ordination on women”—that is, to ordain women as presbyters or bishops, the two degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders that comprise the “ministerial priesthood.” (In my book, I consistently refer to “the priesthood” rather than to “Holy Orders” or “ordained ministry,” because I intend to bracket the question of the diaconate.) ...
Robert J. Egan
"My article also ended with a question: “Has the tradition of excluding women from the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopacy really been faithful to the teaching and practice of Jesus? Or has it been part of a mostly unexamined and partially unconscious bias for subjecting women to men’s authority and power?” This was not a conclusion, but a question: “a very important question,” one that “urgently needs and deserves an open, prayerful, learned, patient, and discerning conversation among Catholics today.” ...
"... I reported that the inferiority of women to men and their subjection to the authority of men (taken for granted throughout most of the church’s history) was the explanation often given for their exclusion from ordained ministry
http://www.archny.org/seminary/st-josephs-seminary-dunwoodie/administration/sister-sara-butler/something no one denies. Whether or not it was the main factor that dictated this exclusion is a question I suggested deserves prayerful discussion among us.
.."We know there were different forms of governance and types of ministry in the early Christian communities. There was no single structure, the same in every place. It isn’t my opinion but our common faith that the church’s life unfolds under the influence of the Spirit. It seems apparent that different kinds of assistance, leadership, and service evolved gradually, and only gradually became identified with particular offices, and subsequently with “priesthood.” But during these developments, references were, in fact, being made to several key biblical passages that became influential, including references to the commissioning of the Twelve. "
"To make all this an issue about me is misleading. None of this discussion is a personal idiosyncrasy on my part. It reflects aspects of the work—not just of Anglicans and Protestants—but of many Catholic scholars as well, including Paul Bernier, Raymond E. Brown, John J. Burkhard, John N. Collins, Bernard Cooke, Alexandre Faivre, Richard R. Gaillardetz, Daniel J. Harrington, Richard P. McBrien, John P. Meier, Nathan D. Mitchell, Thomas F. O’Meara, Kenan B. Osborne, Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx, Carroll Stuhlmueller, and Francis A. Sullivan, among others. In particular, important work has been done in recent years on the meaning of “the Twelve,” the distinct category of “apostles,” and the origins and development of the roles of presbyter, overseer, and deacon, much of it in the years since the promulgation of Inter insigniores (1976). It is, I believe, mainly Butler’s neglect of this literature that is at the heart of the conflict between us. "
..." As a Catholic theologian and a Jesuit, I do not dispute the sacramentality of ordination, the idea of apostolic succession, the hierarchical structure of the church, the role of tradition and the magisterium in the interpretation of Scripture, or the teaching authority of the church, although I think commanding the assent of the faithful is unlikely to produce fruitful results in our present situation.
..."The church’s understanding and teaching has developed over two millennia. On some subjects it has remained substantially the same. On others, it has changed dramatically, in ways that could not have been foreseen: on slavery, women’s inferiority, the divine right of kings, the uses of torture, the status and dignity of the Jewish people, the execution of heretics, the idea of religious liberty, the moral legitimacy of democratic governments, the indispensability of Thomism, and the structure of the universe itself. New questions arise, and new horizons open, cultures themselves are transformed, and the fund of human knowledge changes... "
Sr. Sara Butler, MSBT, teaches at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. Her Cardinal Cooke Lecture on the subject of the ministerial priesthood is available on her faculty page.
about the writer
Robert J. Egan, SJ, a frequent contributor to Commonweal, teaches theology and spirituality at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Complex Questions of Papal Infallibility/Teaching Prohibiting Women's Ordination Infallible?/ 3 Theologians Doubt It
Complex questions of papal infallibility
Analysis comes after ouster of Australian Bishop William Morris
May. 23, 2011
By Jerry Filteau
http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/complex-questions-papal-infallibility
...“The pope can remove Morris even if it [the papal teaching on women’s ordination to the priesthood] is not infallible -- there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
He said he would “go along” with Sullivan’s reservations about the infallible status of the papal declaration in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.
When NCR asked Sullivan whether he regards the teaching in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis as manifestly infallible, he said, “No. I don’t think so.”
But he also said, “It’s infallibly taught -- at least the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has declared -- and I don’t want to contradict it.”
Fr. Charles E. Curran, a moral theologian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, also cited the canon that nothing is to be regarded as infallible doctrine unless it is manifestly so.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Ratzinger wants to say it’s infallible, and that he has said that” in his 1995 response, as then head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, to a question of whether the teaching against ordaining women priests was infallible, Curran said.
The congregation said at that time that the teaching spelled out in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis “requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the tradition of the church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium.”
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
The pope cannot proclaim a teaching that does not reflect the sense of the faithful. Pope John Paul did not follow the process of worldwide consultation with thelogians and bishops before he declared this teaching to be definitive.
Now Pope Benedict stands on the precipice. ( and discourages even discussion of the topic, making women's ordination a " serious crime",firing Bishop Morris of Australia etc)
It appears that Roman Catholic Women Priests are one of the Vatican's worst nightmares. When prominent theologians question the infallible status given to this teaching by our present pope, rest assured that their intellectual prod is an unwelcome challenge. However, if Benedict declares this doctrine infallible, the loss will be greatest for the magisterium . If Benedict declares women's ordination infallible from the chair of Peter, he would do serious damage to the magisterium's teaching authority.
I believe Pope Benedict, the theologian, knows that is too high a risk no matter how opposed he is to women priests and our supporters! However, I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in this "dance", and all shall be well!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Analysis comes after ouster of Australian Bishop William Morris
May. 23, 2011
By Jerry Filteau
http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/complex-questions-papal-infallibility
...“The pope can remove Morris even if it [the papal teaching on women’s ordination to the priesthood] is not infallible -- there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
He said he would “go along” with Sullivan’s reservations about the infallible status of the papal declaration in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.
When NCR asked Sullivan whether he regards the teaching in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis as manifestly infallible, he said, “No. I don’t think so.”
But he also said, “It’s infallibly taught -- at least the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has declared -- and I don’t want to contradict it.”
Fr. Charles E. Curran, a moral theologian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, also cited the canon that nothing is to be regarded as infallible doctrine unless it is manifestly so.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Ratzinger wants to say it’s infallible, and that he has said that” in his 1995 response, as then head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, to a question of whether the teaching against ordaining women priests was infallible, Curran said.
The congregation said at that time that the teaching spelled out in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis “requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the tradition of the church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal magisterium.”
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
The pope cannot proclaim a teaching that does not reflect the sense of the faithful. Pope John Paul did not follow the process of worldwide consultation with thelogians and bishops before he declared this teaching to be definitive.
Now Pope Benedict stands on the precipice. ( and discourages even discussion of the topic, making women's ordination a " serious crime",firing Bishop Morris of Australia etc)
It appears that Roman Catholic Women Priests are one of the Vatican's worst nightmares. When prominent theologians question the infallible status given to this teaching by our present pope, rest assured that their intellectual prod is an unwelcome challenge. However, if Benedict declares this doctrine infallible, the loss will be greatest for the magisterium . If Benedict declares women's ordination infallible from the chair of Peter, he would do serious damage to the magisterium's teaching authority.
I believe Pope Benedict, the theologian, knows that is too high a risk no matter how opposed he is to women priests and our supporters! However, I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in this "dance", and all shall be well!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Video on "No Sovereign Immunity"/Court Decision Rules in Favor of Victim/John V. Doe vs the Holy See/Vatican Must Make Info. Public/Time for the Truth
YouTube - ?mnsnap's Channel??
After 9 years - survivor John V. Doe - receives favorable US District Court decision vs. the Holy See. The "No Sovereign Immunity" press conference explaining the court decision. --- Now the Vatican knows it's time for truth, honesty and openness, not "wiggling."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
A landmark case! Finally, a U.S. Court stands up to the Vatican! It is about time.
Let's hope that the Vatican stops the foot-dragging, releases the information, and institutes the major reforms that are necessary for structural change in response to the sexual abuse global crisis.
It is sad that the courts are the only institution that seems to be effective in holding the Catholic Church accountable in response to the global sexual abuse crisis. The people of God have challenged the hierarchy, but the Vatican has held on to its power and placed accountability on the lap of the local bishop despite years of coverup by many bishops across the world. One wonders what have we learned if the fox is still in charge of the hen house! So much for national review boards and diocesan review boards, if the bishops do not report allegations to them, how effective can they be? Are they only window-dressing? What other church or denomination would get away with this kind of behavior?
Will the Vatican respond to the Court? What happens if they don't?
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
After 9 years - survivor John V. Doe - receives favorable US District Court decision vs. the Holy See. The "No Sovereign Immunity" press conference explaining the court decision. --- Now the Vatican knows it's time for truth, honesty and openness, not "wiggling."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
A landmark case! Finally, a U.S. Court stands up to the Vatican! It is about time.
Let's hope that the Vatican stops the foot-dragging, releases the information, and institutes the major reforms that are necessary for structural change in response to the sexual abuse global crisis.
It is sad that the courts are the only institution that seems to be effective in holding the Catholic Church accountable in response to the global sexual abuse crisis. The people of God have challenged the hierarchy, but the Vatican has held on to its power and placed accountability on the lap of the local bishop despite years of coverup by many bishops across the world. One wonders what have we learned if the fox is still in charge of the hen house! So much for national review boards and diocesan review boards, if the bishops do not report allegations to them, how effective can they be? Are they only window-dressing? What other church or denomination would get away with this kind of behavior?
Will the Vatican respond to the Court? What happens if they don't?
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
"Why Not?" Scripture, History and Women's Ordination by Robert J. Egan S.J/ Response to Sara Butler's Book- The Catholic Priesthood and Women.
http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/why-not-0
April 11, 2008
Article
"Why Not?"
Scripture, History & Women's Ordination
Robert J. Egan
(Robert J. Egan, SJ, a frequent contributor to Commonweal, teaches theology and spirituality at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. )
In response to Sara Butler's arguments for excluding women from the priesthood, Robert Egan, SJ made the following case in Commonweal Magazine:
Sara Butler's book titled The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the Church (Hillenbrand Books, $23, 132 pp.). Butler is a professor of dogmatic theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York.
..."The fourth problem is that to frame this discussion in terms of excluding women from “the priesthood” confuses the matter considerably. There is no talk about a Christian “priesthood” in the New Testament. ..Early Christianity had no priests. It can even be said, on the basis of these New Testament texts, that early Christianity did not understand itself to be the kind of religion that has or needs a priesthood. It was only in the second century that bishops, in reference to their role (by then) as chief presiders at the communities’ Eucharistic liturgies, began to be likened to priests. Later, during the third century, presbyters too, as delegates of a bishop for presiding at liturgies, also began to be likened to priests.
Building a theology of the presbyterate and episcopate on the basis of “priesthood” tempts us to read back into New Testament times attitudes and ideas that developed only centuries later. ..
There is no evidence in the New Testament that Jesus made any connection between the Twelve and any established offices or continuing roles of leadership in the local communities like elders or overseers. There is, for that matter, no evidence that Jesus himself explicitly intended or foresaw elders or overseers in the new communities. And there is certainly nothing in Jesus’ way of acting or his teaching that suggests that he intended any of his followers to become priests... None of these words or roles has any particular connection with cult or sacrifice, but in the second century, as the episcopus became the ordinary presider at the community’s Eucharistic liturgy, he began to be likened to a sacerdos. Later, in the third century, as the presbyter became the delegate of the episcopus to preside at some Eucharistic liturgies, he too began to be likened to a sacerdos. Eventually the terms presbyter and sacerdos came to be used interchangeably to refer to an ordained Christian minister of a rank above deacon but below bishop. Ironically, the word “priest,” which is the only word we have to translate sacerdos or hiereus, is derived historically from presbyter. " —R.J.E.
April 11, 2008
Article
"Why Not?"
Scripture, History & Women's Ordination
Robert J. Egan
(Robert J. Egan, SJ, a frequent contributor to Commonweal, teaches theology and spirituality at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. )
In response to Sara Butler's arguments for excluding women from the priesthood, Robert Egan, SJ made the following case in Commonweal Magazine:
Sara Butler's book titled The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to the Teaching of the Church (Hillenbrand Books, $23, 132 pp.). Butler is a professor of dogmatic theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York.
..."The fourth problem is that to frame this discussion in terms of excluding women from “the priesthood” confuses the matter considerably. There is no talk about a Christian “priesthood” in the New Testament. ..Early Christianity had no priests. It can even be said, on the basis of these New Testament texts, that early Christianity did not understand itself to be the kind of religion that has or needs a priesthood. It was only in the second century that bishops, in reference to their role (by then) as chief presiders at the communities’ Eucharistic liturgies, began to be likened to priests. Later, during the third century, presbyters too, as delegates of a bishop for presiding at liturgies, also began to be likened to priests.
Building a theology of the presbyterate and episcopate on the basis of “priesthood” tempts us to read back into New Testament times attitudes and ideas that developed only centuries later. ..
There is no evidence in the New Testament that Jesus made any connection between the Twelve and any established offices or continuing roles of leadership in the local communities like elders or overseers. There is, for that matter, no evidence that Jesus himself explicitly intended or foresaw elders or overseers in the new communities. And there is certainly nothing in Jesus’ way of acting or his teaching that suggests that he intended any of his followers to become priests... None of these words or roles has any particular connection with cult or sacrifice, but in the second century, as the episcopus became the ordinary presider at the community’s Eucharistic liturgy, he began to be likened to a sacerdos. Later, in the third century, as the presbyter became the delegate of the episcopus to preside at some Eucharistic liturgies, he too began to be likened to a sacerdos. Eventually the terms presbyter and sacerdos came to be used interchangeably to refer to an ordained Christian minister of a rank above deacon but below bishop. Ironically, the word “priest,” which is the only word we have to translate sacerdos or hiereus, is derived historically from presbyter. " —R.J.E.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Arrogant Clericalism’ Never Assessed in John Jay report" by Tom Doyle/ Advocate for Sexual Abuse Survivors in the Catholic Church/NCR Online
http://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/arrogant-clericalism-never-assessed-john-jay-report
"Arrogant clericalism’ never assessed in John Jay report"
May 21, 2011
By Tom Doyle
..."The report gave short shrift to mandatory celibacy and the all-male environment of the clerical world. This will feed right into the defenses of those who try to claim that the problems are all from outside influences. Yet the influence of mandatory celibacy and the sub-culture of which it is an integral part play a major role in the socialization and maturation processes of the men who will eventually violate minors. The clerical culture should have been the subject of the 1.8 million dollar venture because if looked at closely and honestly it would have yielded information that not only provided believable reasons for the abuse nightmare but valuable though radical steps to take to avoid similar travesties in the future. That would have been much too dangerous for the hierarchical establishment though, because without doubt, it would point to needed fundamental changes..."
"What is important is not why the thousands of clerics went off the tracks and raped and violated tens of thousands of innocent children.
What is important is what the institutional Church has done, or to be more precise, not done, to help heal the thousands of victims who still live in isolation and pain. More than anything else these men and women have had their very souls violated and in the words of some, murdered. Rather than go to such great lengths to try to exonerate themselves the bishops could have done what they should have done.....try, at least, to begin to understand the profound depth of the spiritual wounds inflicted on these many men and women, once innocent and trusting boys and girls. .."
Tom Doyle is a priest, canon lawyer, addictions therapist and long-time supporter of justice and compassion for clergy sex abuse victims. He is a co-author of the first report ever issued to the U.S. bishops on clergy sex abuse, in 1986.
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
What a waste of money the John Jay Report on Sexual Abuse is. As Tom Doyle points out, it doesn't deal with the elephant in the church's own living room, clericalism. Until we have an open transparent, accountable church that is less a pyramid and more a circular model, and until we have married priests, women priests and an empowered people of God, genuine reform and renewal will not take place. As Fr. Doyle points out, the bishops have not dealt with the pain of the survivors in a significant way either, mandating certain prayers or penances for the people of God- such as declaring a fast from meat on Friday- is not going to heal this wound that is gaping and growing with no end in sight.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationoformancatholicwomenpriests.org
"Arrogant clericalism’ never assessed in John Jay report"
May 21, 2011
By Tom Doyle
..."The report gave short shrift to mandatory celibacy and the all-male environment of the clerical world. This will feed right into the defenses of those who try to claim that the problems are all from outside influences. Yet the influence of mandatory celibacy and the sub-culture of which it is an integral part play a major role in the socialization and maturation processes of the men who will eventually violate minors. The clerical culture should have been the subject of the 1.8 million dollar venture because if looked at closely and honestly it would have yielded information that not only provided believable reasons for the abuse nightmare but valuable though radical steps to take to avoid similar travesties in the future. That would have been much too dangerous for the hierarchical establishment though, because without doubt, it would point to needed fundamental changes..."
"What is important is not why the thousands of clerics went off the tracks and raped and violated tens of thousands of innocent children.
What is important is what the institutional Church has done, or to be more precise, not done, to help heal the thousands of victims who still live in isolation and pain. More than anything else these men and women have had their very souls violated and in the words of some, murdered. Rather than go to such great lengths to try to exonerate themselves the bishops could have done what they should have done.....try, at least, to begin to understand the profound depth of the spiritual wounds inflicted on these many men and women, once innocent and trusting boys and girls. .."
Tom Doyle is a priest, canon lawyer, addictions therapist and long-time supporter of justice and compassion for clergy sex abuse victims. He is a co-author of the first report ever issued to the U.S. bishops on clergy sex abuse, in 1986.
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
What a waste of money the John Jay Report on Sexual Abuse is. As Tom Doyle points out, it doesn't deal with the elephant in the church's own living room, clericalism. Until we have an open transparent, accountable church that is less a pyramid and more a circular model, and until we have married priests, women priests and an empowered people of God, genuine reform and renewal will not take place. As Fr. Doyle points out, the bishops have not dealt with the pain of the survivors in a significant way either, mandating certain prayers or penances for the people of God- such as declaring a fast from meat on Friday- is not going to heal this wound that is gaping and growing with no end in sight.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationoformancatholicwomenpriests.org
Religion and Sex Quiz/ from new book "Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions About Sex and Desire" by Dr. Knust
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/opinion/22kristof.html
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Religion and Sex Quiz
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: May 21, 2011
"Faith is a huge force in American life, and it’s common to hear the Bible cited to bolster political and moral positions, especially against same-sex marriage and abortion. So here’s my 2011 religion quiz. Choose the best responses (some questions may have more than one correct answer):
1. The Bible’s position on abortion is:
a. Never mentioned.
b. To forbid it along with all forms of artificial birth control.
c. Condemnatory, except to save the life of the mother.
2. The Bible suggests “marriage” is:
a. The lifelong union of one man and one woman.
b. The union of one man and up to 700 wives.
c. Often undesirable, because it distracts from service to the Lord.
3. The Bible says of homosexuality:
a. Leviticus describes male sexual pairing as an abomination.
b. A lesbian should be stoned at her father’s doorstep.
c. There’s plenty of ambiguity and no indication of physical intimacy, but some readers point to Ruth and Naomi’s love as suspiciously close, or to King David declaring to Jonathan: “Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” (II Samuel 1:23-26)"
Click on link to take whole quiz.....
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Religion and Sex Quiz
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: May 21, 2011
This quiz, and the answers below, draw from a new book, “Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire.” It’s by Jennifer Wright Knust, a Bible scholar at Boston University who is also an ordained American Baptist pastor.
"Faith is a huge force in American life, and it’s common to hear the Bible cited to bolster political and moral positions, especially against same-sex marriage and abortion. So here’s my 2011 religion quiz. Choose the best responses (some questions may have more than one correct answer):
1. The Bible’s position on abortion is:
a. Never mentioned.
b. To forbid it along with all forms of artificial birth control.
c. Condemnatory, except to save the life of the mother.
2. The Bible suggests “marriage” is:
a. The lifelong union of one man and one woman.
b. The union of one man and up to 700 wives.
c. Often undesirable, because it distracts from service to the Lord.
3. The Bible says of homosexuality:
a. Leviticus describes male sexual pairing as an abomination.
b. A lesbian should be stoned at her father’s doorstep.
c. There’s plenty of ambiguity and no indication of physical intimacy, but some readers point to Ruth and Naomi’s love as suspiciously close, or to King David declaring to Jonathan: “Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” (II Samuel 1:23-26)"
Click on link to take whole quiz.....
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Way to go to get people talking about sex and the bible, Dr. Jenniver Wright Knust! I bet your book will be a best seller.Thanks for sharing this quiz with your readers, Nicolas Kristof.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
http://www.assocationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Church has Authority to Ordain Women, Past, Present, and Future/God Is Not Impotent!
http://www.catholicvoiceoakland.org/2011/05-23/forumlet2.htm
1.This is a rather convuluted admission that the Armenian Apostolic Church, (which is in union with Rome) has women deacons!
Quoted from above article in Catholic Voice
"With regard to the question of a “revival” in the Armenian Apostolic Church of ordaining women deacons, a consultation was held with Tiran Petrosyan, Armenian-Apostolic priest and scholar of Armenian sacramental theology and liturgical studies, and former vice-rector of the St. Gevorkian Theological Seminary/Academy in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. According to Petrosyan, for several decades following the Armenian genocide in Turkey, the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul allowed the ordination of women to the diaconate for practical reasons, as was deemed necessary for continuing the teaching of the faith during a time of persecution, especially when priests were being killed. These women did fulfill the role of deacon, but mostly within a convent environment only. However, this practice was limited to the territory of Istanbul and Turkey; the Armenian Catholicoi of Etchmiadzin and Antélias/Lebanon and the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem never allowed it, nor did it take place anywhere in the diaspora. Moreover, it lasted for only a brief period of time (the last such ordination took place approximately 50 years ago), and only professed nuns were ordained, not lay women. Petrosyan called “rumor” the assertion that the Armenian Apostolic Church has revived a practice of ordaining women deacons."
2. History testifies to women's ordination in the Roman Catholic Church.
As scholars have concluded including Kevin Madigan, Carolyn Osiek, Gary Macy, Dorothy Irvin,
the Catholic Church's history includes women's ordination, there were thousands of deacons in the east, and the preponderance of evidence for women priests is in the west. (See In the Hidden History of Women's Ordination, Gary Macy who states that " The history of Christianity is replete with references to the ordination of women. There are rites for the ordination of women, there are canonical requirements for the ordination of women, there are particular women depicted as ordained... In the tenth century,Atto, Bishop of Vercelli, described the ordination of women deacons in the early church. "...for the aid of men, devout women were ordained leaders of worship in the holy Church." (p. 4, )
This argument that the church, who professes spiritual authority over all kinds of things such as sacramental rites, church observances, and even the blessing of sacramentals like holy water, (there is a very thick book of cannon laws that define the church's jurisdiction) has no authority to ordain women ---is a ridiculous excuse for a policy that excludes half the human race from Holy Orders. It insinuates that God, who is all powerful, who can do all things , cannnot call women to priestly ministry. Does the church believe that God is suddenly impotent before women?! This "blaming God argument" indicates that the hierarchy has run out of theological and historical arguments. The Catholic community should not let them off the hook for their mysogny in prohibiting women's ordination and denying women equality in our church. All are called to follow Christ. The Risen Christ chose Mary of Magdala, not Peter, to share the most important news of Christianity with the disciples. It is time for the church to follow the example Jesus gave of Gospel equality!
The good news is that Roman Catholic Women Priests, an international movement, brings the gift of a renewed priestly ministry in a people-empowered to the Church! While this may be ground shaking to the hierarchy, many Catholics are joining our grassroots communities around the world. So there is hope that God is revitalizing our beloved faith tradition in the 21st century with the gifts of women in ordained ministries in egalitarian communities. Certainly, our God is not impotent, as the Vatican claims in its ban on women's ordination! Women priests reminds us that women are equal images of God and should be treated as such by all, including their church!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
1.This is a rather convuluted admission that the Armenian Apostolic Church, (which is in union with Rome) has women deacons!
Quoted from above article in Catholic Voice
"With regard to the question of a “revival” in the Armenian Apostolic Church of ordaining women deacons, a consultation was held with Tiran Petrosyan, Armenian-Apostolic priest and scholar of Armenian sacramental theology and liturgical studies, and former vice-rector of the St. Gevorkian Theological Seminary/Academy in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. According to Petrosyan, for several decades following the Armenian genocide in Turkey, the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul allowed the ordination of women to the diaconate for practical reasons, as was deemed necessary for continuing the teaching of the faith during a time of persecution, especially when priests were being killed. These women did fulfill the role of deacon, but mostly within a convent environment only. However, this practice was limited to the territory of Istanbul and Turkey; the Armenian Catholicoi of Etchmiadzin and Antélias/Lebanon and the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem never allowed it, nor did it take place anywhere in the diaspora. Moreover, it lasted for only a brief period of time (the last such ordination took place approximately 50 years ago), and only professed nuns were ordained, not lay women. Petrosyan called “rumor” the assertion that the Armenian Apostolic Church has revived a practice of ordaining women deacons."
2. History testifies to women's ordination in the Roman Catholic Church.
As scholars have concluded including Kevin Madigan, Carolyn Osiek, Gary Macy, Dorothy Irvin,
the Catholic Church's history includes women's ordination, there were thousands of deacons in the east, and the preponderance of evidence for women priests is in the west. (See In the Hidden History of Women's Ordination, Gary Macy who states that " The history of Christianity is replete with references to the ordination of women. There are rites for the ordination of women, there are canonical requirements for the ordination of women, there are particular women depicted as ordained... In the tenth century,Atto, Bishop of Vercelli, described the ordination of women deacons in the early church. "...for the aid of men, devout women were ordained leaders of worship in the holy Church." (p. 4, )
This argument that the church, who professes spiritual authority over all kinds of things such as sacramental rites, church observances, and even the blessing of sacramentals like holy water, (there is a very thick book of cannon laws that define the church's jurisdiction) has no authority to ordain women ---is a ridiculous excuse for a policy that excludes half the human race from Holy Orders. It insinuates that God, who is all powerful, who can do all things , cannnot call women to priestly ministry. Does the church believe that God is suddenly impotent before women?! This "blaming God argument" indicates that the hierarchy has run out of theological and historical arguments. The Catholic community should not let them off the hook for their mysogny in prohibiting women's ordination and denying women equality in our church. All are called to follow Christ. The Risen Christ chose Mary of Magdala, not Peter, to share the most important news of Christianity with the disciples. It is time for the church to follow the example Jesus gave of Gospel equality!
The good news is that Roman Catholic Women Priests, an international movement, brings the gift of a renewed priestly ministry in a people-empowered to the Church! While this may be ground shaking to the hierarchy, many Catholics are joining our grassroots communities around the world. So there is hope that God is revitalizing our beloved faith tradition in the 21st century with the gifts of women in ordained ministries in egalitarian communities. Certainly, our God is not impotent, as the Vatican claims in its ban on women's ordination! Women priests reminds us that women are equal images of God and should be treated as such by all, including their church!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Saturday, May 21, 2011
"Who is a Saint?" by Patrick T. Reardon/Chciago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-perspec-0522-saint-20110522,0,4823192.story
chicagotribune.com
Who is a saint?
Why the Vatican should ordain women
By Patrick T. Reardon
May 22, 2011
"A year ago, a friend of mine, Janine Denomme, died of cancer. We were members of the St. Gertrude Roman Catholic parish in Edgewater. We served on the parish council together.
It was painful for me to learn that, a few days before she died, Janine was told that the archdiocese wouldn't permit her to be buried out of St. Gertrude. It was one more pain that was added on to the pain of her cancer and her imminent death.
Yet, Cardinal George's refusal to let Janine's funeral be held in St. Gertrude brought greater attention to her priesthood. Newspaper readers and those who heard about Janine in other ways found out that she was willing to pursue her vocation as a priest, even to the extent of being blocked from the religious home she loved...
But, maybe, in the end, the church will win. And the rest of society too.
Who is a saint? Is it Pope John Paul II, whose official sainthood process is on a fast track? Maybe. But I never had any dealings with him.
I knew Janine. I saw how she lived her life. And, yeah, I'd say she was a saint."
Patrick T. Reardon, a former scholar in residence at the Newberry Library, is the author of "Daily Meditations (with Scripture) for Busy Dads" and two other books of meditations.
chicagotribune.com
Who is a saint?
Why the Vatican should ordain women
By Patrick T. Reardon
May 22, 2011
"A year ago, a friend of mine, Janine Denomme, died of cancer. We were members of the St. Gertrude Roman Catholic parish in Edgewater. We served on the parish council together.
It was painful for me to learn that, a few days before she died, Janine was told that the archdiocese wouldn't permit her to be buried out of St. Gertrude. It was one more pain that was added on to the pain of her cancer and her imminent death.
Yet, Cardinal George's refusal to let Janine's funeral be held in St. Gertrude brought greater attention to her priesthood. Newspaper readers and those who heard about Janine in other ways found out that she was willing to pursue her vocation as a priest, even to the extent of being blocked from the religious home she loved...
But, maybe, in the end, the church will win. And the rest of society too.
Who is a saint? Is it Pope John Paul II, whose official sainthood process is on a fast track? Maybe. But I never had any dealings with him.
I knew Janine. I saw how she lived her life. And, yeah, I'd say she was a saint."
Patrick T. Reardon, a former scholar in residence at the Newberry Library, is the author of "Daily Meditations (with Scripture) for Busy Dads" and two other books of meditations.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Timothy Radcliffe Dropped as Speaker at Caritas Summit/ More Evidence of Power and Control Tactics of Vatican Against a Voice of Challenge
EXCLUSIVE Timothy Radcliffe dropped as speaker at Caritas summit
Robert Mickens in Rome - 20 May 2011 - The Tablet UK
"The Vatican has dropped Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, the internationally renowned former head of the Dominicans, from giving the keynote address at next week's Caritas Internationalis (CI) general assembly in Rome, The Tablet has learned.Fr Radcliffe was originally scheduled to deliver the opening address on Monday morning and speak about the theology that undergirds the work of Caritas. He had already prepared a 45-minute talk. Instead, that slot has been given to Capuchin Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, the charismatic preacher of the papal household, followed by Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. People associated with the Caritas confederation have been careful not to make too much of the Vatican's recent moves to gain greater control over the organisation, fearing that any protests would only make the situation worse."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Once again, the Vatican appears to be circling the wagons. They seem to be threatened by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, a prestigious, major Dominican theologian. Why?
I wonder what issues caused the Vatican to block Fr. Timothy Radcliff from speaking. Something is wrong with this picture!
Caritas officials should stand up to the Vatican and insist that Fr. Timothy speak at their conference. This incident reminds us that we must never submit to oppression. This should be the motto of all Catholics who love their church. Jesus died to liberate us all. Jesus never intended to leave behind an oppressive institution that dominated and controlled its followers. As Martin Luther King taught us injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Catholics wake up, reclaim your church as a community of believers who uphold the values of Jesus in the Gospel! Ask yourself, what would Jesus do, and do it!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
Robert Mickens in Rome - 20 May 2011 - The Tablet UK
"The Vatican has dropped Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, the internationally renowned former head of the Dominicans, from giving the keynote address at next week's Caritas Internationalis (CI) general assembly in Rome, The Tablet has learned.Fr Radcliffe was originally scheduled to deliver the opening address on Monday morning and speak about the theology that undergirds the work of Caritas. He had already prepared a 45-minute talk. Instead, that slot has been given to Capuchin Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, the charismatic preacher of the papal household, followed by Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. People associated with the Caritas confederation have been careful not to make too much of the Vatican's recent moves to gain greater control over the organisation, fearing that any protests would only make the situation worse."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Once again, the Vatican appears to be circling the wagons. They seem to be threatened by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, a prestigious, major Dominican theologian. Why?
I wonder what issues caused the Vatican to block Fr. Timothy Radcliff from speaking. Something is wrong with this picture!
Caritas officials should stand up to the Vatican and insist that Fr. Timothy speak at their conference. This incident reminds us that we must never submit to oppression. This should be the motto of all Catholics who love their church. Jesus died to liberate us all. Jesus never intended to leave behind an oppressive institution that dominated and controlled its followers. As Martin Luther King taught us injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Catholics wake up, reclaim your church as a community of believers who uphold the values of Jesus in the Gospel! Ask yourself, what would Jesus do, and do it!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
“Injustice cannot come infallibly from a just God.” by Judith A. Cox
Bishop Theodora, St. Praxedis,
Mary, Mother of Jesus in
St. Praxedis Church in Rome
(left to right)
Ordination of Roman Catholic Women
Priests in Sarasota, Florida
Women’s Value as Catholic Priests
On this Easter weekend, thoughts go to Jesus and all that transpired throughout his death and resurrection. In Ann Gray’s letter to the editor of 4-21-11, she states that Jesus ordained the twelve male apostles at the Last Supper and that is her argument that women cannot be priests. The next few days of His life prove otherwise. The twelve male apostles were in hiding through His suffering and death. They abandoned him. Who were the faithful disciples who followed Him to the cross and were with him when he died? Mary, his mother and the first person to bring into being the body and blood of Christ and Mary, the Magdalene, were with him through it all. Jesus rewarded Mary, the Magdalene, by allowing her to be the first to know of His resurrection. He then sent her to announce it to the twelve male apostles still in hiding. She has been called Apostle to the Apostles.
Yes, Jesus was very unusual in his time to value women and take them into his ministry. He sent the Samaritan woman to preach to her neighbors and welcomed Mary and Martha to listen to his words.
The best case that could be made for women in the Catholic priesthood, was written by Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest who has been threatened with eviction from his order and
excommunication from the Catholic Church because of his support of the Roman Catholic Womenpriest movement. He states the following:
(1) As Catholics, we believe that we were created in the image and likeness of God and that men and women are equal before God. Excluding women from the priesthood implies that men are superior to women.
(2) Catholic priests say that the call to be a priest is a gift and comes from God. How can we, as men, say: "Our call from God is authentic, but your call, as women, is not"? Who are we to reject God's call of women to the priesthood? I believe our Creator who is the Source of life and called forth the sun and stars is certainly capable of calling women to be priests.
(3) We are told that women cannot be priests because Jesus chose only men as apostles. As we know, Jesus did not ordain anyone. Jesus also chose a woman, Mary Magdalene, to be the first witness to His resurrection, which is at the core of our faith. Mary Magdalene became known as "the apostle to the apostles."
(4) A 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the Vatican's top Scripture scholars, concluded that there is no valid case to be made against the ordination of women from the Scriptures. In the Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian and other Christian churches, God's call of women to the priesthood is affirmed and women are ordained. Why not in the Catholic church?
(5) The Holy Scriptures remind us in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither male nor female. In Christ Jesus you are one." Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the Modern World states: "Every type of discrimination ... based on sex. .. is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God's intent.
His reasons are the best I have seen. If you agree with him, please write his superior
Rev. Edward Dougherty, M.M. Superior General Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers
P.O. Box 303 Maryknoll NY 10545 in support of his stand on women in the priesthood and his 44 years in the Maryknoll missions.
There are many groups who want the Catholic priesthood to be expanded for many different reasons. Hopefully, the faithful Catholic laity will demand that this happen and value the gifts that women have to give to the Catholic priesthood.
Judith A. Cox
"God Visits the Archdiocese of Philadelphia" by Eileen McCafferty Di Franco, RCWP
Eileen McCafferty Di Franco, RCWP, Presides at
St. Mary Magdala Community Liturgy on
Christmas Eve in Philadelphia area.
God walked up and down the streets of downtown Philadelphia mourning and weeping in its many vales of tears. The people most of the city tries to forget huddled together on the park benches as the wintry February wind howled between the gleaming skyscrapers. God looked up at the towers of Liberty 1 and Liberty II and sighed. Philadelphia had come a long way from the days when no building could stand taller than City Hall. It was a shame that except for Sister Mary Scullion and Project Home, the city fathers and mothers still couldn’t figure out what to do with the homeless.
God looked sadly at Her people waiting for their handouts of daily bread, right in the shadow of a church dedicated to Her. “And still my children cry,” She thought as she passed by the court building and the public library.
God was certainly well acquainted with the sin all around her. After all, She had given human beings free will. Sin was a natural outcome of Her choice to let people learn. She knew that people would lie, cheat, fornicate, avenge, fight, envy and lust. She forgave sin because it was part of the human condition. No human being could ever be perfect. The divine goal had always been wholeness rather than perfection.
God ran Her hands through Her curly black hair and wiped away Her tears. What had happened in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia took sin to new level. What really made Her angry, if She could be angry, and want to throw thunderbolts, if there were such things, was the idolatrous use of Her Holy Name to justify heinous sin. As the late February wind gathered into a full frontal attack, God shouted, “Thou SHALT NOT take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain,” at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.
The passers-by on 18th St. lifted up the heads they had bowed before the wind. What was that sound? When they saw a tall, well-dressed beautiful young woman with curly black hair and bright green eyes standing in the park, they resumed their walk. Thank God none of the park denizens was acting crazy today.
In his office, Cardinal Rigali heard the wind race around the corner of his office. Something in the wind made him get up and look out the window. A very tall woman with curly black hair caught his eye. He tried to move away from the window but stood transfixed by her eyes. His knees began to feel a bit weak. How could he see her eyes from this distance? And why was she waving at him?
His work beckoned. Several days before he learned that the city was going to try the former Vicar of the Clergy, the Very Reverend William Lynn for child endangerment. In His Eminence’s opinion, Msgr. Lynn had only done what he had been directed to do. A cardinal always knows what’s best for his diocese. The sacred and the profane world are so different and only he, Justin Rigali, can tell the difference between the two because his feet are planted so firmly in the former. All those people out there, eating, drinking, carousing in sin and using birth control - what could they know about the sacred work entrusted to him? What do they know about the sacred? He, the cardinal archbishop of Philadelphia had worked hard to do the Lord’s work to keep people steadfast in their faith and devoted to the church of Jesus Christ. His was the voice of authority. Only he could interpret the will and word of God. Jesus, Himself, had put bishops in charge of the church. The cardinal rested peacefully each night, assured in that knowledge.
Cardinal Rigali tried again to withdraw his eyes from the woman outside. His heart began beating fast as he head a female voice say quite clearly in his head, “Don’t kid yourself, my son. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no strange gods before me. Do not be an idolater. Cease and desist from taking My Name in vain.” To his amazement, he could see Her lips mouthing the words. The cardinal began to sweat.
The woman suddenly withdrew her eyes and the cardinal relaxed. He saw her approach the door to the archdiocesan office and smiled. The guards would stop her. He sat down, adjusted his pectoral cross and his red beanie, and began looking at the charges against his loyal deputy.
The door opened almost immediately. The cardinal’s eyes narrowed. He had told his secretary not to disturb him. His mouth opened to complain when he saw the tall woman in question entering his office.
The cardinal demanded, “Who let you in?” and reached for his phone.
“Don’t bother, Justin,” God said mildly. “The phone won’t work. And don’t be mad at your secretary. He didn’t see Me. No one did. No one but you.”
Justin began inching towards the door. This woman was insane. He was tired of those street people hanging around in the park.
God walked around to the chair Justin had just vacated, sat down, and crossed her long legs. She removed a white wool shawl from Her shoulders and took out her computer from her green bag. “Sit down,” She directed peremptorily, pointing to the visitor’s chair in front of his desk. “And stop staring at My arms. Mothers have the strongest arms in the world. The biggest hearts too. You should talk to women more often and stop worrying about them taking over things. It would stop you from saying some really stupid stuff about things you don’t remotely understand.”
Justin sat down and crossed his arms across his chest. If he made a scene, he’d have trouble explaining how this lovely young woman with bare arms came to visit him so secretly. God narrowed Her eyes as She stared at his broad red cummerbund and the red piping on his cassock. “You silly, pitiful men. You can’t imagine God as female. You really were expecting a God who looked and acted like you?” “Well,” She said, her voice rising, “Dream on!” Justin looked at the window as the wind seemed to roar again. “It wasn’t the wind,” God said calmly, as She downloaded the Grand Jury Report.
“Who are you?” he demanded. Justin was a man who gave orders. He could say to the Vicar of the Clergy, “Go cover up the sins of my brother priests and it would be done without question. He would say to his loyal men, “Keep those heretics away from communing with God,” and they would do so, even when their better instincts indicated otherwise. When some silly women from WOC asked, “What would Jesus do?” Justin could only laugh. He always did what Jesus would want him to do. Protect the church. Secure it from scandal. Eliminate dissenters. Reserve the Lord for the deserving. And he used priest underlings, wealthy patrons, lawyers, insurance agents, controllers, and public relations people to do his bidding, which after all, was really the Will of God.
God noted his thoughts and looked up from Her computer. In fact, She stood up and said. “I am the Lord thy God.” The cardinal’s mind recoiled in protest in spite of the vision of a woman clothed in the sun with a crown of stars on her head, Looking down from Her great height, She added, “ I shall be Who I shall be. I wish you guys would be more anal about that sort of translation and worry less about that consubstantial nonsense. Do you think complicated words can ever describe Me?”
Then God was back in her seat leaning towards Justin, Her chin in Her hand. Justin refused to look into Her eyes. “You know, Justin, men like you continue to amaze Me. I have given you visions, signs, indeed, even portents if you believe in prophecy, and yet you disbelieve. The message is so big, a runner would see it as My son Habbakuk wrote so many years ago. Yet, you destroy the prophets among you. Your idolatry blinds you. You refuse to see me so You cannot believe in Me. All you see is yourself. You are seeing the house that you think Justin built, the house you think Rome built. But he who loses his life will find it. Lose yourself in Me, Justin. Forget about who you think you are. Forget about who you think I AM. You have been blessed with a great gift, Justin, and yet you refuse to accept it.”
Justin sat still, his eyes staring straight in front of him, refusing to meet the eyes of God. He had worked really hard to get to this place. All those years in Rome, rubbing elbows and clinking wine glasses in the finest restaurants in town with the most powerful men in the world meant a great deal to him.
“Justin, my boy, I would not worry about all those clanging brass cymbals in Rome any more. The only power they have, as my son Tom McMahon said on a wonderful e-group to which you should subscribe because you might learn something about the church you lead, is the power to use something they call god as a threat. If you truly believed in Me, as my daughter Marguerite Sexton said when she sadly left the church, you would never, ever use ME, the Lord, thy God, as a weapon against your sisters and brothers.”
God shrugged at Justin’s flat affect and continued to read through the 2011 Grand Jury Report mumbling “Yuck” and “Gross.”
“You do this type of thing and then believe you speak for Me? Quite frankly Justin, I am suffering from what your psychologists call cognitive dissonance. You have major hissy fits over my sons Roy and Bill and my daughters, the priests and then you coddle criminals, sick men who did these things?” She pointed in disgust at the computer. “You, my son – and all your brothers- not only presume, you also engaged in some really bad judgment.”
God closed Her computer and put Her flash drive into Her purse. “Now, I’ve had more than enough of this stuff. You have screwed up big time being a shepherd. Few recognize your voice. You left your flock alone and instead protected the wolves whom you allowed to roam in your midst with impunity. It is always and everywhere My will and intention to protect the weak and the vulnerable. It is in doing this that you give Me glory and honor. Why do you think I told believers to see Me in all humanity?”
Justin remained unconvinced. This self-described God was a WOC plant. He knew these women well. They would do anything, even hire a master magician, to push their feminist agenda. All they wanted to do was destroy the church, which had grown up perfectly intact from the heads of the church, the apostles. The male, celibate clergy had served the world well these last centuries. It would not change any time soon, certainly not while he was in charge. The church as it now existed was the will of God. Case closed.
God looked sadly at the Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphia. “ You are not in charge, son. I AM. If you were, as you claim, ontologically changed by Holy Orders, you would know Me and Mine. Instead, you know only you and yours. And so you will fail.” God stood up and prepared to leave.
Justin’s secretary walked into the office. “Your Eminence, I heard strange noises and thought…” The man closed his mouth and stood in stunned silence watching as God draped her white shawl over Her broad shoulders. “Your Eminence,” he fairly gasped, “Who is this woman? How did she get in here?”
“I AM,” She replied, “The Lord, thy God.” The vision of God filled the room with a great pulsating light that extinguished the winter darkness with each beat of God’s heart. The secretary got down on his knees and looked up at the divine as though through the clouds of heaven. The stars in Her crown twinkled in a bright sky. He could see the world at Her feet. “Now you can dismiss your servant,” he began, when the cardinal interrupted. “This is all a ploy, get off your knees, John. It’s those WOC women priests at it again.”
The secretary saw blood from the wounds in her hands drip onto her shawl. “No, no, no Your Eminence,’ he protested, “This is real. Look at Her hands! We have met the Lord! I must go and tell the others! It’s the Second Coming! Jesus has returned! Praise God!” Then remembering his sins, for they were many, John bowed his head and wept. “God, please forgive me,” he said over and over again, holding Her Hands and kissing them with great fervor. John felt Her grace, Her sweetness, and Her divine life flow through Her hands to him. He was forgiven.
God gently brought John to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes with Her shawl. “Not just yet, John. Please keep this Good News to yourself for there is much business to conduct,” She said. “But I do want you to bring Anthony Bevilaqua to this office tomorrow at 9 A.M. You need to be here as well, John, my beloved, and you too Justin.”
“Obviously God,” Justin said archly , “You don’t know that Cardinal Bevilaqua is ill and suffering from dementia.”
“Obviously, Justin,” She replied, “I know that aside from a malformed moral compass, your predecessor is just fine, thank you.” We’ll talk tomorrow at nine sharp. Be there.”
Eileen McCafferty DiFranco
May 18, 2011
God looked sadly at Her people waiting for their handouts of daily bread, right in the shadow of a church dedicated to Her. “And still my children cry,” She thought as she passed by the court building and the public library.
God was certainly well acquainted with the sin all around her. After all, She had given human beings free will. Sin was a natural outcome of Her choice to let people learn. She knew that people would lie, cheat, fornicate, avenge, fight, envy and lust. She forgave sin because it was part of the human condition. No human being could ever be perfect. The divine goal had always been wholeness rather than perfection.
God ran Her hands through Her curly black hair and wiped away Her tears. What had happened in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia took sin to new level. What really made Her angry, if She could be angry, and want to throw thunderbolts, if there were such things, was the idolatrous use of Her Holy Name to justify heinous sin. As the late February wind gathered into a full frontal attack, God shouted, “Thou SHALT NOT take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain,” at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.
The passers-by on 18th St. lifted up the heads they had bowed before the wind. What was that sound? When they saw a tall, well-dressed beautiful young woman with curly black hair and bright green eyes standing in the park, they resumed their walk. Thank God none of the park denizens was acting crazy today.
In his office, Cardinal Rigali heard the wind race around the corner of his office. Something in the wind made him get up and look out the window. A very tall woman with curly black hair caught his eye. He tried to move away from the window but stood transfixed by her eyes. His knees began to feel a bit weak. How could he see her eyes from this distance? And why was she waving at him?
His work beckoned. Several days before he learned that the city was going to try the former Vicar of the Clergy, the Very Reverend William Lynn for child endangerment. In His Eminence’s opinion, Msgr. Lynn had only done what he had been directed to do. A cardinal always knows what’s best for his diocese. The sacred and the profane world are so different and only he, Justin Rigali, can tell the difference between the two because his feet are planted so firmly in the former. All those people out there, eating, drinking, carousing in sin and using birth control - what could they know about the sacred work entrusted to him? What do they know about the sacred? He, the cardinal archbishop of Philadelphia had worked hard to do the Lord’s work to keep people steadfast in their faith and devoted to the church of Jesus Christ. His was the voice of authority. Only he could interpret the will and word of God. Jesus, Himself, had put bishops in charge of the church. The cardinal rested peacefully each night, assured in that knowledge.
Cardinal Rigali tried again to withdraw his eyes from the woman outside. His heart began beating fast as he head a female voice say quite clearly in his head, “Don’t kid yourself, my son. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no strange gods before me. Do not be an idolater. Cease and desist from taking My Name in vain.” To his amazement, he could see Her lips mouthing the words. The cardinal began to sweat.
The woman suddenly withdrew her eyes and the cardinal relaxed. He saw her approach the door to the archdiocesan office and smiled. The guards would stop her. He sat down, adjusted his pectoral cross and his red beanie, and began looking at the charges against his loyal deputy.
The door opened almost immediately. The cardinal’s eyes narrowed. He had told his secretary not to disturb him. His mouth opened to complain when he saw the tall woman in question entering his office.
The cardinal demanded, “Who let you in?” and reached for his phone.
“Don’t bother, Justin,” God said mildly. “The phone won’t work. And don’t be mad at your secretary. He didn’t see Me. No one did. No one but you.”
Justin began inching towards the door. This woman was insane. He was tired of those street people hanging around in the park.
God walked around to the chair Justin had just vacated, sat down, and crossed her long legs. She removed a white wool shawl from Her shoulders and took out her computer from her green bag. “Sit down,” She directed peremptorily, pointing to the visitor’s chair in front of his desk. “And stop staring at My arms. Mothers have the strongest arms in the world. The biggest hearts too. You should talk to women more often and stop worrying about them taking over things. It would stop you from saying some really stupid stuff about things you don’t remotely understand.”
Justin sat down and crossed his arms across his chest. If he made a scene, he’d have trouble explaining how this lovely young woman with bare arms came to visit him so secretly. God narrowed Her eyes as She stared at his broad red cummerbund and the red piping on his cassock. “You silly, pitiful men. You can’t imagine God as female. You really were expecting a God who looked and acted like you?” “Well,” She said, her voice rising, “Dream on!” Justin looked at the window as the wind seemed to roar again. “It wasn’t the wind,” God said calmly, as She downloaded the Grand Jury Report.
“Who are you?” he demanded. Justin was a man who gave orders. He could say to the Vicar of the Clergy, “Go cover up the sins of my brother priests and it would be done without question. He would say to his loyal men, “Keep those heretics away from communing with God,” and they would do so, even when their better instincts indicated otherwise. When some silly women from WOC asked, “What would Jesus do?” Justin could only laugh. He always did what Jesus would want him to do. Protect the church. Secure it from scandal. Eliminate dissenters. Reserve the Lord for the deserving. And he used priest underlings, wealthy patrons, lawyers, insurance agents, controllers, and public relations people to do his bidding, which after all, was really the Will of God.
God noted his thoughts and looked up from Her computer. In fact, She stood up and said. “I am the Lord thy God.” The cardinal’s mind recoiled in protest in spite of the vision of a woman clothed in the sun with a crown of stars on her head, Looking down from Her great height, She added, “ I shall be Who I shall be. I wish you guys would be more anal about that sort of translation and worry less about that consubstantial nonsense. Do you think complicated words can ever describe Me?”
Then God was back in her seat leaning towards Justin, Her chin in Her hand. Justin refused to look into Her eyes. “You know, Justin, men like you continue to amaze Me. I have given you visions, signs, indeed, even portents if you believe in prophecy, and yet you disbelieve. The message is so big, a runner would see it as My son Habbakuk wrote so many years ago. Yet, you destroy the prophets among you. Your idolatry blinds you. You refuse to see me so You cannot believe in Me. All you see is yourself. You are seeing the house that you think Justin built, the house you think Rome built. But he who loses his life will find it. Lose yourself in Me, Justin. Forget about who you think you are. Forget about who you think I AM. You have been blessed with a great gift, Justin, and yet you refuse to accept it.”
Justin sat still, his eyes staring straight in front of him, refusing to meet the eyes of God. He had worked really hard to get to this place. All those years in Rome, rubbing elbows and clinking wine glasses in the finest restaurants in town with the most powerful men in the world meant a great deal to him.
“Justin, my boy, I would not worry about all those clanging brass cymbals in Rome any more. The only power they have, as my son Tom McMahon said on a wonderful e-group to which you should subscribe because you might learn something about the church you lead, is the power to use something they call god as a threat. If you truly believed in Me, as my daughter Marguerite Sexton said when she sadly left the church, you would never, ever use ME, the Lord, thy God, as a weapon against your sisters and brothers.”
God shrugged at Justin’s flat affect and continued to read through the 2011 Grand Jury Report mumbling “Yuck” and “Gross.”
“You do this type of thing and then believe you speak for Me? Quite frankly Justin, I am suffering from what your psychologists call cognitive dissonance. You have major hissy fits over my sons Roy and Bill and my daughters, the priests and then you coddle criminals, sick men who did these things?” She pointed in disgust at the computer. “You, my son – and all your brothers- not only presume, you also engaged in some really bad judgment.”
God closed Her computer and put Her flash drive into Her purse. “Now, I’ve had more than enough of this stuff. You have screwed up big time being a shepherd. Few recognize your voice. You left your flock alone and instead protected the wolves whom you allowed to roam in your midst with impunity. It is always and everywhere My will and intention to protect the weak and the vulnerable. It is in doing this that you give Me glory and honor. Why do you think I told believers to see Me in all humanity?”
Justin remained unconvinced. This self-described God was a WOC plant. He knew these women well. They would do anything, even hire a master magician, to push their feminist agenda. All they wanted to do was destroy the church, which had grown up perfectly intact from the heads of the church, the apostles. The male, celibate clergy had served the world well these last centuries. It would not change any time soon, certainly not while he was in charge. The church as it now existed was the will of God. Case closed.
God looked sadly at the Cardinal Archbishop of Philadelphia. “ You are not in charge, son. I AM. If you were, as you claim, ontologically changed by Holy Orders, you would know Me and Mine. Instead, you know only you and yours. And so you will fail.” God stood up and prepared to leave.
Justin’s secretary walked into the office. “Your Eminence, I heard strange noises and thought…” The man closed his mouth and stood in stunned silence watching as God draped her white shawl over Her broad shoulders. “Your Eminence,” he fairly gasped, “Who is this woman? How did she get in here?”
“I AM,” She replied, “The Lord, thy God.” The vision of God filled the room with a great pulsating light that extinguished the winter darkness with each beat of God’s heart. The secretary got down on his knees and looked up at the divine as though through the clouds of heaven. The stars in Her crown twinkled in a bright sky. He could see the world at Her feet. “Now you can dismiss your servant,” he began, when the cardinal interrupted. “This is all a ploy, get off your knees, John. It’s those WOC women priests at it again.”
The secretary saw blood from the wounds in her hands drip onto her shawl. “No, no, no Your Eminence,’ he protested, “This is real. Look at Her hands! We have met the Lord! I must go and tell the others! It’s the Second Coming! Jesus has returned! Praise God!” Then remembering his sins, for they were many, John bowed his head and wept. “God, please forgive me,” he said over and over again, holding Her Hands and kissing them with great fervor. John felt Her grace, Her sweetness, and Her divine life flow through Her hands to him. He was forgiven.
God gently brought John to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes with Her shawl. “Not just yet, John. Please keep this Good News to yourself for there is much business to conduct,” She said. “But I do want you to bring Anthony Bevilaqua to this office tomorrow at 9 A.M. You need to be here as well, John, my beloved, and you too Justin.”
“Obviously God,” Justin said archly , “You don’t know that Cardinal Bevilaqua is ill and suffering from dementia.”
“Obviously, Justin,” She replied, “I know that aside from a malformed moral compass, your predecessor is just fine, thank you.” We’ll talk tomorrow at nine sharp. Be there.”
Eileen McCafferty DiFranco
May 18, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
John Jay Report on Sexual Abuse in Catholic Church Fails to Deal with Systemic Cover-up by Bishops and Vatican
The John Jay Report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church could have been written by the U. S. Bishops and the Vatican. What a disappointment, and a waste of money! Let's not forget that the bishops' made a large financial contribution, and the report examined their data. Why in heavens name, did these investigators not do a more comprehensive investigation? There is evidence in court cases and research on fundamental issues, such as the clerical, male culture that could have been examined.
The report blames the pop culture, the permissive environment, of the 60's for the rape and cover up of sexual abuse of thousands of Catholic youth. Not long ago, the Vatican's exorcist blamed the devil roaming the halls of he Vatican for the sexual abuse scandal!
What these investigators leave out in this report is:
1) the bishops' role in the global cover-up
2) the Vatican's role in the global cover-up
3) the systemic causes including clericalism that preserved the bishops' power and failed to protect the victims.
Can we see an agenda here?!
Then to add insult to injury, the recent Vatican guidelines affirm the bishop's authority in all sexual abuse cases. The Vatican policy suggests that the bishop turn over credible cases to the police. Suggest! Did anyone ever hear of "obstruction of justice" Is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church above the law?
Would any other church get away with the coverup of criminal behavior?
Yet, why, is there not worldwide outrage when the Vatican comes out with such a reprehensible policy? The Vatican clearly states that it is the bishops who are responsible to decide which allegations are credible! Really! After spending 2 billion dollars in court cases and after thousands of priests were found guilty of raping, sodomizing, and/or sexually abusing minors and after a cover-up by bishops that extends around the globe, one would think the Vatican would offer mandates to the bishops, not suggestions that they report allegations to the police. One example, in the Philadelphia Archdiocese the Review Board did not even know about the allegations against some of the priests who were later suspended after the Grand Jury Report cited credible allegations of sexual abuse. Cardinal Rigali did not turn over all of the cases to his own Review Board. And the Vatican Policy supports Rigali's action! How tragic! It is obvious that the preservation of the hierarchy's power, not the protection of children from sexual abuse by the clergy, is the real issue! In some cases, like Cardinal Law, the Vatican has even rewarded bishops who covered up for abusive priests with top jobs in Rome.
Now the newly released official Vatican policy demonstrates that the Vatican refuses to make the major reforms that would create a more open, accountable, transparent church. The bishops are still in charge. They are only accountable to the Pope in this life. The foxes continue to guard the hen house.
Groups like Amnesty International, perhaps, the World Court, may be able to hold the institutional church accountable. The people of God, the court of public opinion, will continue to pray for and advocate for justice, truth telling, reconciliation and healing. Catholics who love their church will continue to speak truth to the hierarchy and call for reform. Some of us will work in grassroots communities, like the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, to bring about structural change by living Gospel equality and accountability now as we share the rich heritage of our faith in vibrant sacramental communities in which justice, compassion, and inclusiveness are hallmarks.
Here are quotes from some of the major media's coverage:
"The report's ultimate recommendation will sound familiar to anyone who has studied an institution in crisis: enact uniform policies that encourage transparency and accountability. But this is the American Catholic Church, in which each bishop runs his diocese largely free from scrutiny and oversight. Just last week, the head of the Philadelphia Archdiocese's in-house review board publicly complained that church leaders had been selective in handing over sex-abuse allegations rather than allowing the board to sift through every complaint. (Read about Pope Benedict XVI's daily life.)
Perhaps the best evidence that church reforms are still far off came on May 16 when the Vatican issued new guidelines for bishops to consult when dealing with sex-abuse cases. The guidelines are voluntary, meaning bishops will continue to have the final say over all matters within their individual dioceses. The bishop remains king, reporting only to the Pope and God." Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2072574,00.html#ixzz1Mqwy8rRk
As important as this report seems to be, more work and investigation is needed. In the Washington Post, the point is made that the organization is claiming it has done one of the most thorough studies any organization has done of itself. But it has not studied the organization failures. "
Priest sex abuse scandal was temporary problem, study finds
In The Washington Post
“This report misses the boat. What deserves the most scrutiny are not child sex crimes but continued clergy coverups of child sex crimes,” the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said Tuesday in a statement. Study blames culture of era for church’s abuse crisis. Priests poorly trained, report to bishops says "
In Boston.com online
“The study seems to focus on the offending priests in a way that minimizes the gravity of their crimes, and gives short shrift to the ‘other crime’ — the enabling, concealing, and fostering of abuse by the US bishops and the Vatican bureaucracy,’’ said Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, in a statement on news reports concerning the leaked study last night."
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
The report blames the pop culture, the permissive environment, of the 60's for the rape and cover up of sexual abuse of thousands of Catholic youth. Not long ago, the Vatican's exorcist blamed the devil roaming the halls of he Vatican for the sexual abuse scandal!
What these investigators leave out in this report is:
1) the bishops' role in the global cover-up
2) the Vatican's role in the global cover-up
3) the systemic causes including clericalism that preserved the bishops' power and failed to protect the victims.
Can we see an agenda here?!
Then to add insult to injury, the recent Vatican guidelines affirm the bishop's authority in all sexual abuse cases. The Vatican policy suggests that the bishop turn over credible cases to the police. Suggest! Did anyone ever hear of "obstruction of justice" Is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church above the law?
Would any other church get away with the coverup of criminal behavior?
Yet, why, is there not worldwide outrage when the Vatican comes out with such a reprehensible policy? The Vatican clearly states that it is the bishops who are responsible to decide which allegations are credible! Really! After spending 2 billion dollars in court cases and after thousands of priests were found guilty of raping, sodomizing, and/or sexually abusing minors and after a cover-up by bishops that extends around the globe, one would think the Vatican would offer mandates to the bishops, not suggestions that they report allegations to the police. One example, in the Philadelphia Archdiocese the Review Board did not even know about the allegations against some of the priests who were later suspended after the Grand Jury Report cited credible allegations of sexual abuse. Cardinal Rigali did not turn over all of the cases to his own Review Board. And the Vatican Policy supports Rigali's action! How tragic! It is obvious that the preservation of the hierarchy's power, not the protection of children from sexual abuse by the clergy, is the real issue! In some cases, like Cardinal Law, the Vatican has even rewarded bishops who covered up for abusive priests with top jobs in Rome.
Now the newly released official Vatican policy demonstrates that the Vatican refuses to make the major reforms that would create a more open, accountable, transparent church. The bishops are still in charge. They are only accountable to the Pope in this life. The foxes continue to guard the hen house.
Groups like Amnesty International, perhaps, the World Court, may be able to hold the institutional church accountable. The people of God, the court of public opinion, will continue to pray for and advocate for justice, truth telling, reconciliation and healing. Catholics who love their church will continue to speak truth to the hierarchy and call for reform. Some of us will work in grassroots communities, like the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, to bring about structural change by living Gospel equality and accountability now as we share the rich heritage of our faith in vibrant sacramental communities in which justice, compassion, and inclusiveness are hallmarks.
Here are quotes from some of the major media's coverage:
"The report's ultimate recommendation will sound familiar to anyone who has studied an institution in crisis: enact uniform policies that encourage transparency and accountability. But this is the American Catholic Church, in which each bishop runs his diocese largely free from scrutiny and oversight. Just last week, the head of the Philadelphia Archdiocese's in-house review board publicly complained that church leaders had been selective in handing over sex-abuse allegations rather than allowing the board to sift through every complaint. (Read about Pope Benedict XVI's daily life.)
Perhaps the best evidence that church reforms are still far off came on May 16 when the Vatican issued new guidelines for bishops to consult when dealing with sex-abuse cases. The guidelines are voluntary, meaning bishops will continue to have the final say over all matters within their individual dioceses. The bishop remains king, reporting only to the Pope and God." Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2072574,00.html#ixzz1Mqwy8rRk
As important as this report seems to be, more work and investigation is needed. In the Washington Post, the point is made that the organization is claiming it has done one of the most thorough studies any organization has done of itself. But it has not studied the organization failures. "
Priest sex abuse scandal was temporary problem, study finds
In The Washington Post
“This report misses the boat. What deserves the most scrutiny are not child sex crimes but continued clergy coverups of child sex crimes,” the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said Tuesday in a statement. Study blames culture of era for church’s abuse crisis. Priests poorly trained, report to bishops says "
In Boston.com online
“The study seems to focus on the offending priests in a way that minimizes the gravity of their crimes, and gives short shrift to the ‘other crime’ — the enabling, concealing, and fostering of abuse by the US bishops and the Vatican bureaucracy,’’ said Terence McKiernan of BishopAccountability.org, in a statement on news reports concerning the leaked study last night."
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
Monday, May 16, 2011
Vatican Put on List of Global Human Rights Abusers by Amnesty International
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_CHURCH_ABUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-05-16-07-17-32
May 16, 7:17 AM EDT
Vatican suggests bishops report abuse to police
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
EXCERPT: On Friday, Amnesty International listed the Vatican in its annual report of global human rights abuses, citing revelations of clerical abuse around the world and the "enduring failure" of the church to address the crimes properly.
Vatican's role in sex abuse scandals
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Another example of the fox guarding the hen house! This is the problem! How can the bishops determine if an allegation is credible? Don't you need an investigation by police? Isn't that part of law enforcement's job. It is "important" to cooperate with law enforcement, but the Vatican should have made this mandatory!, These guidelines are not even a good PR effort on their part! I don't understand why the Vatican does not get it!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
May 16, 7:17 AM EDT
Vatican suggests bishops report abuse to police
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
EXCERPT: On Friday, Amnesty International listed the Vatican in its annual report of global human rights abuses, citing revelations of clerical abuse around the world and the "enduring failure" of the church to address the crimes properly.
Vatican's role in sex abuse scandals
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Another example of the fox guarding the hen house! This is the problem! How can the bishops determine if an allegation is credible? Don't you need an investigation by police? Isn't that part of law enforcement's job. It is "important" to cooperate with law enforcement, but the Vatican should have made this mandatory!, These guidelines are not even a good PR effort on their part! I don't understand why the Vatican does not get it!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
"Papal Fantasy Romancing the Past"/ Progressive Bishops Considered More Dangerous Than Those Engaged in Sex Abuse
http://anothervoice-greenleaf.org/2011/05/16/papal-fantasy-romancing-the-past/
John Greenleaf writes in "Another Voice":
"Progressive bishops are seen as more dangerous than those engaged in sex abuse: As has been reported, the Vatican has taken decisive action against an “errant” Australian bishop, showing that it has a zero tolerance policy towards deviants. Bishop William Morris, who was forced to resign (for wanting to discuss married priests, women priests and an ecumenical understanding of holy orders) was not guilty of sexual abuse. On the contrary, the Toowoomba, Australia bishop has been a noted supporter of abuse victims in his diocese, and widely admired as a sensitive pastoral leader. At the same time, the Vatican has fast-tracked the beatification of John Paul II, the pope who denied that pedophilia was a problem in the church and gave great support to sexual abusers like his friend Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer of Vienna who abused 2,000 boys over several decades."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
The Latin liturgies, meatless meals on Friday, and other pentitential practices will not heal the grievous wound in the heart of our church- the horrific global scandal that has not only devastated the lives of victims and their families, but also has betrayed the entire Catholic community and the result is loss of trust in the institutional church and its hierarchy. The fact that many bishops, including the Vatican were involved in a global shuffling of priests from parish to parish, from diocese to diocese and in some cases from country to country and ended up in the hands of both JPII and Benedict XVI. Both popes apologized for the travesty, but did not make the structural changes necessary to deal with the clericalism that protected the clergy, but not the children who were raped, sodomized, and sexually abused by the "Fathers" of their church!
Pope Benedict made a serious mistake by firing BishopWilliam Morris, who had a good track record of dealing compassionately with victims of sexual abuse and who considered married priests and women priests as a possible solution to the crisis of a priest shortage in his Australian diocese, His removal from office is another indication of how sick our institutional church is and how threatened the Vatican is by the mere words, "women priests".
Yet the fact remains that Roman Catholic Women Priests are faithful advocates of Gospel equality who are living prophetic obedience to God's call to serve the people of God in a a renewed priestly ministry. We minister in grassroots communities where all are welcome, including all who are on the margins of church and society.
In my view, this is the mandate of Jesus in the Gospel who embraced all.
Women priests are part of the grassroots reform and renewal that is on the ground now. I think Jesus, who had many women among his closest disciples, would feel rather comfortable in our inclusive communities.
Women Priests are part of the emerging Catholic Church, a new Pentecost that is taking root, in which a circle of beloved sisters and brothers come together to worship in inclusive communities and to live passionately the good news of God's love, compassion, justice and equality for all in our world.
Kudos to John Greenleaf for an excellent article in his blog: "Another Voice."
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
John Greenleaf writes in "Another Voice":
"Progressive bishops are seen as more dangerous than those engaged in sex abuse: As has been reported, the Vatican has taken decisive action against an “errant” Australian bishop, showing that it has a zero tolerance policy towards deviants. Bishop William Morris, who was forced to resign (for wanting to discuss married priests, women priests and an ecumenical understanding of holy orders) was not guilty of sexual abuse. On the contrary, the Toowoomba, Australia bishop has been a noted supporter of abuse victims in his diocese, and widely admired as a sensitive pastoral leader. At the same time, the Vatican has fast-tracked the beatification of John Paul II, the pope who denied that pedophilia was a problem in the church and gave great support to sexual abusers like his friend Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer of Vienna who abused 2,000 boys over several decades."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
The Latin liturgies, meatless meals on Friday, and other pentitential practices will not heal the grievous wound in the heart of our church- the horrific global scandal that has not only devastated the lives of victims and their families, but also has betrayed the entire Catholic community and the result is loss of trust in the institutional church and its hierarchy. The fact that many bishops, including the Vatican were involved in a global shuffling of priests from parish to parish, from diocese to diocese and in some cases from country to country and ended up in the hands of both JPII and Benedict XVI. Both popes apologized for the travesty, but did not make the structural changes necessary to deal with the clericalism that protected the clergy, but not the children who were raped, sodomized, and sexually abused by the "Fathers" of their church!
Pope Benedict made a serious mistake by firing BishopWilliam Morris, who had a good track record of dealing compassionately with victims of sexual abuse and who considered married priests and women priests as a possible solution to the crisis of a priest shortage in his Australian diocese, His removal from office is another indication of how sick our institutional church is and how threatened the Vatican is by the mere words, "women priests".
Yet the fact remains that Roman Catholic Women Priests are faithful advocates of Gospel equality who are living prophetic obedience to God's call to serve the people of God in a a renewed priestly ministry. We minister in grassroots communities where all are welcome, including all who are on the margins of church and society.
In my view, this is the mandate of Jesus in the Gospel who embraced all.
Women priests are part of the grassroots reform and renewal that is on the ground now. I think Jesus, who had many women among his closest disciples, would feel rather comfortable in our inclusive communities.
Women Priests are part of the emerging Catholic Church, a new Pentecost that is taking root, in which a circle of beloved sisters and brothers come together to worship in inclusive communities and to live passionately the good news of God's love, compassion, justice and equality for all in our world.
Kudos to John Greenleaf for an excellent article in his blog: "Another Voice."
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Sunday, May 15, 2011
"The Vatican Moves Further Latinward"/ How Long Before Vatican Promotes Inclusive Liturgies/Women Priests?
The Vatican Moves Further Latinward
: James Martin, S.J.
From Reuters: The Vatican issued an "instruction" to bishops as a follow-up to a 2007 papal decree authorizing the wider adoption of the Latin Mass, which was in universal use before the 1962-1965 Vatican Council introduced masses in local languages. The re-instatement of the Latin mass was one of the demands of ultra-traditionalists whose leaders were excommunicated in 1988, prompting the first schism in modern times. The pope, in a nod the traditionalists, satisfied many of them in 2007 when he allowed a wider use of the Latin mass, in which the priest faced east with his back to the faithful for most of the service. But some bishops around the world said privately it was a headache because of the scarcity of priests trained in Latin, and logistical problems inserting Latin mass in their schedule.
Bridget Mary's Reflection
If Pope Benedict can promote the old Latin Mass to keep the ultra traditionlists happy, (whose leaders were excommicated just 23 years ago), how long will it take the Vatican to promote inclusive language in liturgies that incorporate feminine images of God to make progressives in the church happy?
Even though the bishops are mumbling, even complaining about this latest mandate from the Vatican that gives them extra work and costs to train priests to say a proper Tridentine Mass facing East, I prefer to view this move backward to Medieval times as another example of the Vatican as the gift that keeps on giving! This demonstrates how quickly the institutional church can move backwards or forwards! Just imagine the joy of millions in the church, when (in less than 23 years perhaps) we move forward with a renewed priestly ministry in a people empowered church. Can't you just see a future pope standing in the midst of the crowd in St. Peter's Square. Cameras roll, crowds cheer as Pope X declares that as the church has always believed and taught, Jesus treated women and men as disciples and equals, Mary of Magdala was the first witness to encounter the Risen Christ and was known as the apostle to the apostles, many women presided at Eucharist in the house churches in apostolic times, thousands of women were ordained deacons in the east and faithful women served their communities as presbyters until the 12th century, the church today is returning to its ancient tradition of women priests and (drum roll, please) all the top jobs in the Vatican will now be open to women who will fill at least half of them. He will affirm the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement as a prophetic gift to the church and the change it has brought in grassroots communities of a more open, inclusive, people-empowered church. At this time, he will invite all to join hands and hearts in the following prayer of thanksgiving; "God, our Mother and Father, we pray that all people today will be blessed by the gifts of women and men, partners and equals, living Jesus' vision of Gospel equality, justice and non-violence in our time..."
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
: James Martin, S.J.
From Reuters: The Vatican issued an "instruction" to bishops as a follow-up to a 2007 papal decree authorizing the wider adoption of the Latin Mass, which was in universal use before the 1962-1965 Vatican Council introduced masses in local languages. The re-instatement of the Latin mass was one of the demands of ultra-traditionalists whose leaders were excommunicated in 1988, prompting the first schism in modern times. The pope, in a nod the traditionalists, satisfied many of them in 2007 when he allowed a wider use of the Latin mass, in which the priest faced east with his back to the faithful for most of the service. But some bishops around the world said privately it was a headache because of the scarcity of priests trained in Latin, and logistical problems inserting Latin mass in their schedule.
Bridget Mary's Reflection
If Pope Benedict can promote the old Latin Mass to keep the ultra traditionlists happy, (whose leaders were excommicated just 23 years ago), how long will it take the Vatican to promote inclusive language in liturgies that incorporate feminine images of God to make progressives in the church happy?
Even though the bishops are mumbling, even complaining about this latest mandate from the Vatican that gives them extra work and costs to train priests to say a proper Tridentine Mass facing East, I prefer to view this move backward to Medieval times as another example of the Vatican as the gift that keeps on giving! This demonstrates how quickly the institutional church can move backwards or forwards! Just imagine the joy of millions in the church, when (in less than 23 years perhaps) we move forward with a renewed priestly ministry in a people empowered church. Can't you just see a future pope standing in the midst of the crowd in St. Peter's Square. Cameras roll, crowds cheer as Pope X declares that as the church has always believed and taught, Jesus treated women and men as disciples and equals, Mary of Magdala was the first witness to encounter the Risen Christ and was known as the apostle to the apostles, many women presided at Eucharist in the house churches in apostolic times, thousands of women were ordained deacons in the east and faithful women served their communities as presbyters until the 12th century, the church today is returning to its ancient tradition of women priests and (drum roll, please) all the top jobs in the Vatican will now be open to women who will fill at least half of them. He will affirm the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement as a prophetic gift to the church and the change it has brought in grassroots communities of a more open, inclusive, people-empowered church. At this time, he will invite all to join hands and hearts in the following prayer of thanksgiving; "God, our Mother and Father, we pray that all people today will be blessed by the gifts of women and men, partners and equals, living Jesus' vision of Gospel equality, justice and non-violence in our time..."
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community: Mini-Retreat: A Reflection on Compassion at "Mercy on the Manatee" in Florida
Hildegard of Bingen's Mandala:
The Person in Sapphire Blue: Compassion
Katy Zatsick (right) hangs Mandela
on Wall of "Mercy on the Manatee"
Members of MMOJ gather for
Reflection on Compassion
On Sunday, May 15, 2011, members of Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community gathered for a mini-retreat. We reflected on compassion and its meaning in our lives and ministries. We reviewed insights from Bishop Patricia Fresen's presenation on the power of compassion that connects all beings in the energy of the Holy One, and empowers us with overflowing love that pulses through all in the circle of life. We shared stories from our lives that illustrated how we grew in the awareness and practice of compassion in everyday life. We also celebrated a delicious brunch provided by our hosts, Carol Ann and Lee Breyer, who live in this awesome spot of beauty, their home on the Manatee River surrounded by stunning views of blue sky and water, " Mercy on the Manatee."
We concluded our time by hanging the framed mandala on the wall of Hildegard's vision of compassion, given by Bishop Patricia to our community. Then, Michael and Imogene Rigdon, Carol Ann and Lee Breyer, Sheila Carey and her friend Ed, Judy and Kevin Conolly and Shekila, bid farewell to snowbirds: Dick Fisher, Jack and Bridget Mary Meehan.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
(MMOJ Liturgies will continue at St. Andrew UCC in Sarasota, Florida on first Sat. of month from June-Oct. at 6PM) Weekly liturgies start in Nov. Check www.marymotherofjesus.org for more information)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Abundant life in Christ Leads to Contemplation of Feminine Face of God
In today's Good Shepherd Gospel, Jesus is saying to each of us: "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." Jesus is the source of our nourishment and it is through personal relationship with Jesus and through the community, the Body of Christ that we experience this fullness.
We can glimpse God's presence in a fuller way now as we explore the feminine awakening in which women and men from different religions and traditions are voicing their truth, claiming their inner authority, turning away from patriarchal values, embracing their spiritual experiences and advocating justice, equality and non-violence for all.
Inclusive language attempts to present a richer, deeper understanding of God, who is always more and beyong human comprehension. The impact of a fuller imaging of God and the naming of this experience empowers, transforms and heals both women and men. This reimagining heals the wounds inflicted on the people of God by overexposure to the distorted male-only God.
As theologian Elzabeth Johnson states that using exclusively male imagery for God reduces God to an idol, justifies patriarchy and implies that women are less like God. "if God is 'she' as well as he, and in face neither, a new possibility can be envisioned of a community that honors difference but allows women and men to share life in equal measure. " (Elizabeth Johnson, Quest for the Living God, pp. 100-101)
It is obvious that part of the reason, the institutional church has such a hostile view to women priests is that the hierarchy does not see women as capable of being "persona Christi", "in the person of Christ" ! Women priests remind us that all women are "persona Christi" by their baptism. (Gal. 3;28, In Christ, there is.... neither male and female... all are one.")
Gender equality is part of the fullness that Jesus promises us in today's Gospel. Since women are created in God's image, our faith communities need to contemplate the feminine face of God in both women and men to grow more whole and holy. Let us continue to live Gospel equality now, loving in the heart of God, and experience the abundant life Christ promised in our worship, community, and service.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
"Head of Philly Priest Sex Abuse Review Panel Criticizes Her Church Leaders
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110514_Head_of_Philly_priest_sex-abuse_review_panel_criticizes_her_church_leaders.html
"A nurse who has served eight years on the archdiocesan review board, Catanzaro was elaborating on a sharply critical article she wrote for the current issue of the Catholic biweekly Commonweal.
Only after a Philadelphia grand jury report in February excoriated both the board and hierarchy for shielding accused priests, she said, did the panel members discover that most cases had been kept from them."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
How can the Philadelphia Archdiocese justify withholding cases from its own Review Board? This action makes a mockery of the Charter to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse that the U.S. bishops adopted after their historic meeting in Dallas. How can a pro-life church not be pro-child? Catholics in Philadelphia should be outraged, hold their church leaders accountable and withhold financial contributions from the Archdiocese until there is genuine reform and transparency. It is time for a renewed priestly ministry including married priests and women priests in a people-empowered Catholic Church if the institutional church wants to move forward with genuine reforms.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
"A nurse who has served eight years on the archdiocesan review board, Catanzaro was elaborating on a sharply critical article she wrote for the current issue of the Catholic biweekly Commonweal.
Only after a Philadelphia grand jury report in February excoriated both the board and hierarchy for shielding accused priests, she said, did the panel members discover that most cases had been kept from them."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
How can the Philadelphia Archdiocese justify withholding cases from its own Review Board? This action makes a mockery of the Charter to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse that the U.S. bishops adopted after their historic meeting in Dallas. How can a pro-life church not be pro-child? Catholics in Philadelphia should be outraged, hold their church leaders accountable and withhold financial contributions from the Archdiocese until there is genuine reform and transparency. It is time for a renewed priestly ministry including married priests and women priests in a people-empowered Catholic Church if the institutional church wants to move forward with genuine reforms.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Friday, May 13, 2011
Clips from Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Liturgies Can be Viewed on Yidio/ Internet TV
http://www.yidio.com/search/entertaiment/mary+mother+of+jesus+inclusive+catholic+community/1?find=mary+mother+of+jesus+inclusive+catholic+community
You can now view clips from our Easter Vigil Celebration on Yidio -- Internet TV.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
You can now view clips from our Easter Vigil Celebration on Yidio -- Internet TV.
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
Sex Crimes and the Vatican/ Secret Document Swore All Parties to Secrecy Under Penalty of Excommunication
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/sex-crimes-and-the-vatican/
"Created in 1962, a now infamous document was issued in secret to bishops. Called Crimen Sollicitationis, it outlined procedures to be followed by bishops when dealing with allegations of child abuse, homosexuality and bestiality by members of the clergy. It swore all parties involved to secrecy on pain of excommunication from the Catholic Church. This document was reissued in 2001 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and sent to all bishops. Yet rather than ordering more openness and cooperation with the authorities as demanded by both law enforcers and the victims, he reiterated its policies and ensured that the Code of Silence be applied to all cases of child abuse involving a priest. Cardinal Ratzinger also instructed that all cases should now be referred to his office directly and that he would maintain ‘exclusive competence’ over the handling of allegations. This is the Catholic Church’s policy to this day and Cardinal Ratzinger is now Pope Benedict XVI. The policy laid out in the above document has led to systemic failure by the result that a significant number of priest have, in effect, been allowed to abuse again, and further children have been put at risk.As the documentary explores, Colm O’Gorman is the man responsible for breaking open decades of abuse by Catholic Priests in Ireland in the BAFTA award-winning BBC special Suing the Pope. He links international ‘systemic evidence’ to argue the Vatican has a policy to cover up the sexual abuse of thousands of children across the world."
"Created in 1962, a now infamous document was issued in secret to bishops. Called Crimen Sollicitationis, it outlined procedures to be followed by bishops when dealing with allegations of child abuse, homosexuality and bestiality by members of the clergy. It swore all parties involved to secrecy on pain of excommunication from the Catholic Church. This document was reissued in 2001 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and sent to all bishops. Yet rather than ordering more openness and cooperation with the authorities as demanded by both law enforcers and the victims, he reiterated its policies and ensured that the Code of Silence be applied to all cases of child abuse involving a priest. Cardinal Ratzinger also instructed that all cases should now be referred to his office directly and that he would maintain ‘exclusive competence’ over the handling of allegations. This is the Catholic Church’s policy to this day and Cardinal Ratzinger is now Pope Benedict XVI. The policy laid out in the above document has led to systemic failure by the result that a significant number of priest have, in effect, been allowed to abuse again, and further children have been put at risk.As the documentary explores, Colm O’Gorman is the man responsible for breaking open decades of abuse by Catholic Priests in Ireland in the BAFTA award-winning BBC special Suing the Pope. He links international ‘systemic evidence’ to argue the Vatican has a policy to cover up the sexual abuse of thousands of children across the world."
May 13th Vigil for Women's Ordination in Boston/ A Sign of Hope as Young People Lead the Way
May 15th Vigil for Women's Ordination in Boston.
Greetings!
"My name is Emily Jendzejec and I am first year Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School. I am also on the Call To Action young adult leadership team (CTA 20/30). I wanted to cordially invite you to an exciting upcoming event for the movement for Catholic women's ordination in Boston.
On Sunday, May 15th, 2011, from 10:30am -- 12pm, we will be gathering at the Boston Cathedral of the Holy Cross to hold a peaceful prayer vigil for women's ordination. May 15th is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in the Catholic Church, and we will be standing in solidarity praying for vocations for all women and men, particularly for women's vocations to the priesthood. We would love for as many of you as are able to join us that day! There will be singing, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and maybe even some bagels! "
The address is:
Boston Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1040 Washington StreetSouth End, Boston, MA 02118
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
My prayers will be with you, and hope that you inspire many young people to come forward to support an inclusive priestly ministry, specifically young women who are called to a renewed priestly ministry. Women now have found a way with the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement!
I look forward to seeing the photos! I am happy to publish on my blog!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Greetings!
"My name is Emily Jendzejec and I am first year Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School. I am also on the Call To Action young adult leadership team (CTA 20/30). I wanted to cordially invite you to an exciting upcoming event for the movement for Catholic women's ordination in Boston.
On Sunday, May 15th, 2011, from 10:30am -- 12pm, we will be gathering at the Boston Cathedral of the Holy Cross to hold a peaceful prayer vigil for women's ordination. May 15th is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in the Catholic Church, and we will be standing in solidarity praying for vocations for all women and men, particularly for women's vocations to the priesthood. We would love for as many of you as are able to join us that day! There will be singing, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and maybe even some bagels! "
The address is:
Boston Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1040 Washington StreetSouth End, Boston, MA 02118
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
My prayers will be with you, and hope that you inspire many young people to come forward to support an inclusive priestly ministry, specifically young women who are called to a renewed priestly ministry. Women now have found a way with the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement!
I look forward to seeing the photos! I am happy to publish on my blog!
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org
sofiabmm@aol.com
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
"Woman Bishop Talks Compassion, Rather than Ordination" by Jamie Manson/NCR/Feminine Love Births Creation/Hildegard/Meditation
Bishop Patricia addresses Mary Mother of Jesus
Inclusive Catholic Community on "Compassion" on April 9, 2011
http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/woman-bishop-talks-compassion-rather-ordination
"As the progressive Catholic world continues to lament the imminent expulsion of Fr. Roy Bourgeois from the Maryknoll community, Bishop Patricia Fresen stands as a quiet reminder that many Catholic women have already suffered a similar fate for publicly supporting women's ordination"...
..."Many of Fresen's thoughts were drawn from one of Hildegard of Bingen's icons, sometimes called "The Compassionate Person." ...In The Hidden History of Women's Ordination, scholar Gary Macy demonstrates that throughout the Middle Ages, popes and bishops referred to the commissioning of abbesses as an ordination. "Early abbesses were powerful and acted independently not only of the papacy, but also of the local bishop," writes Macy.
Hildegard's image shows a Christ figure in the center of an egg-colored mandala. The mandala is surrounded on four sides by sapphire blue, which is meant to evoke the sky and sea. Because of their vast, all-encompassing nature, the sky and sea are a perfect symbol for the compassion of God.... In this gesture, Hildegard's Christ figure reminds us that, like Jesus, our bodies are meant to radiate goodness and healing throughout our world..."
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Our community was deeply touched by Bishop Patricia's inspiring presentation. The power of compassion connects us to our fellow human beings on the planet and all beings in the cosmos. We are all one, loved and held in the dynamic, all-encompassing, overflowing love of the Holy One pulsing through all in the circle of life.
In 1991, in my book on feminine imagery of God, Exploring the Feminine Face of God, p. 67. I wrote a meditation based on this vision in Hildegard's Illuminations, entitled: "Feminine Love Births Creation"
" Hildegard describes God birthing creation and holding all of creation in perfect harmony and balance. Hildegard shared this vision of what she saw in a letter with Abbot Ebrach: "an extraordinary beautiful young woman... wearing shoes which seemed of purest gold whom the whole creation called Lady. The image spoke to a person pictured in sapphire blue and said: "Dominion is yours on the day of your power in the radiance of the saints. I have brought you forth from my own womb before the daystar."
According to Hildegard's vision, feminine love births creation.
"But why does the whole creation call this maiden 'Lady'?
Because "it was from her that all creation proceeded since love was the first.
She made everything." Love created humankind...Love was in eternity and it brought forth in the beginning all holiness, all creatures..."
Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
sofiabmm@aol.com
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