Bridget Mary's Blog

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Pope Francis, A Moment of Hope for Women Priests in the Church

Pope Francis, a 76 year-old Jesuit from Argentina, became the first Latin American and first Jesuit to become Pope.

Wearing a simple cross, clad in the papal white, he walked into history and addressed the church as his sisters and brothers. He seemed so approachable, kind, and open. What really touched me the most was that he asked the people to bless him.
Silence filled the Square as the people embraced Pope Frances with their prayer.
It was a beautiful moment of warmth and joy!
It was a moment of hope for the church!

He was archbishop of Buenos Aires until 2012. According to one
Argentine commentator, Pope Francis is a humble, charismatic man
who takes the bus to work and lives in an apartment.
He has addressed issues of social justice for the poor.
One of our Latin American priests said
that he is a man who lives Jesus' example of solidarity with the
the poor. She was moved to tears
when she first saw the new pope.

One Argentine commentator criticized him for his record on challenging the
government on violations of human rights and
his opposition to same sex marriage and abortion.

I pray that he will support full equality for women in the church including women priests.
But even if we disagree on this issue, I hope he will realize that the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is a liberating movement for the full equality of women in an inclusive church where all are welcome to receive sacraments.

In this moment of hope, Pope Francis could be a breath of fresh air for the church in solidarity with the poor and for genuine reform and change in our church.
Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp
www.arcwp.org

Women protest all-male conclave to elect new pope

Women protest all-male conclave to elect new popeMore>>
SARASOTA (FOX 13) -

Demonstrations took place across the United States and internationally to protest the male-only conclave to elect the next pope.
Members of a church in Sarasota sent up their own smoke signals Tuesday -- not black or white, but pink.
They gathered at the St. Andrews UCC Church in Sarasota. The vigil was one of many held on Tuesday around the globe. Not all were so peaceful though: a melee ensued outside the Vatican Tuesday when two female activists who went topless were dragged away from St. Peter's Square.
The Sarasota group, though, gathered in a circle to pray, and they say their hope is for a more progressive pope.
"There's one point plus billion Roman Catholics. 500 million women. All cultures, all languages, throughout the world living today, are not represented in the conclave. Not one woman," said Katy Zatsick, with the Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community.
Zatsick says she hopes for a "Pope John XXIV" -- someone who models himself after Pope John XXIII, who presided over the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, which ushered in major changes for the Catholic Church.
The cardinals at the Vatican will resume their voting process Wednesday morning.

******

More coverage from Fox News.com: http://www.foxnews.com/live-coverage/selecting-new-pope

Pink Smoke Chicago
http://www.my50chicago.com/story/21629160/outrage-over-chicago-

Will a New Pope Promote Women's Equality in the Church/A Sliver of Hope for Women Priests in the Catholic Church?

Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan ordains first South American Woman Priest, Olga Lucia Alvarez from Colombia

"A few weeks ago, there was a small but significant glimmer of hope for them. One of the voting cardinals, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri of Argentina, gave an interview saying the Roman Catholic Church must open itself up to women in the next pontificate, giving them more leadership positions in the Vatican and beyond." (ABC article)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

"Future Pope Will Need Women" Diana Milesko Excerpt from her upcoming book

Pope Benedict XVI, 85 years old and infirm, announced his resignation effective February 28, 2013. He was tired. Perhaps that is why he showed poor judgment in so many instances.

He refused to welcome women priests into the Church. He remained ignorant of Vatican financial corruption. Most troubling, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, he had all child sex abuse by clergy cases sent directly to his office. Then he did not demand those abuses be reported to the police. He did not defrock the sexual deviants, nor did he castigate their superiors who hid the abuses.

To his credit, Pope Benedict XVI followed his conscience and decided he wasn’t able to effectively remain Pope. In announcing his resignation, he said, "After repeatedly examining my conscience before God..." he decided to resign. His resignation underscores two notable truths.

First, he reminded Catholics that they, too, must follow their conscience--and not Church tradition or ritual (which changes)--when making important decisions, such as on birth control, attending Mass by Women Priests, or choosing whom to love.

God does not expect us to be perfect. But God does expect us to continually examine our conscience as we try to live ethical and moral lives. Pope Benedict XVI showed that one’s conscience is the ultimate judge for all Catholics, even a pope.

Second, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI underscores an urgent reality.

Leading a billion Catholics is too much work to do for one person. It is too much work to do in secrecy.

It is too much work to do without the help and insights of women, who are over half the earth's Catholic population.

It is too much work to do isolated in a sumptuous palace far from the daily concerns of the laity.

Perhaps St. Paul and Mark were right. The Catholic Church should not have one head, or Benefactor. With one head and countless minions the institutional Church does not heed the words of Jesus; it does not follow the impulse of a loving God; it cannot comprehend the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit Sophia.

The institutional Church needs not only a wise pope; it needs a system of checks and balances. It needs the help of women within its hierarchy. It needs transparency in all of its dealings. Then it can begin to work again for justice and inclusion of everyone in God's love. Book is available:bdianamilesko.com, as well as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Diana makes an important point. Can anyone person/pope lead Catholicism into its future?
One thing is for certain, the future pope will need women.

Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp, www.arcwp.org

WSLR Radio Station will Host "Pink Smoke Over the Vatican" on Thur. March 14th at 7PM

http://wslr.org/event/film-pink-smoke-over-Vatican

All are welcome!
Thursday- March 14th

7PM-10PM

WSLR 525 Kumquat Ct. Sarasota, Fl. 34236

Studio: 941-954-5636

Documentary Film on International Women Priests Movement

Pink Smoke Over the Vatican explores the complex ethical choices made by women who are leading the Catholic Church into a new era of justice and equality for women.

For more information contact Bridget Mary Meehan at 941-955-2313
or Kat Zatsick at katyrcwp@tampabay.rr.com
Visit www.arcwp.org

Media Stories of Women Priests' Witness for Justice as they Pray for New Pope to Embrace Full Equality of Women in the Church including Women Priests

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/03/12/wrd-vatican-pink-smoke-protest-women-clergy-pope.html?cmp=rss

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/video/pink-smoke-protest-vatican-calls-161523486.html

Roman Catholic Women Priests Katy Zatsick, Bridget Mary Meehan, Married Priests:
Lee Breyer and Michael Rigdon with their community Mary Mother of Jesus Catholic Community, Sarasota, Liturgy for Gender Justice: Pink Smoke Rising

http://www.genwnow.com/2013/03/05/pink-smoke-at-the-vatican/

Janice Sevre-Duszynska at the Vatican witnessing for women priests.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=9024991
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/12/us-pope-succession-women-idUSBRE92B0RO20130312
Contact Janice in Rome at 859-684-4247 or at rhythmsofthedance@gmail.com

Interview with Alice Iaquinta, RCWP
http://www.wisn.com/news/south-east-wisconsin/milwaukee/Female-priest-hopes-new-pope-includes-women-in-larger-roles/-/10148890/19293352/-/kx1yt4z/-/index.html

ABC News Story on Communities in San Diego /Jane Via and Jen O'Malley/Long Beach
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=9024991

Interview with Jules Hart, filmmaker, " Pink Smoke Over the Vatican"

http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/openGraph/wid/1_ti1j7rb7#.US-hEJTdg9U.facebook

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (Friday March 8)
CBS Sunday Morning (on optional celibacy)

Pondering the Pope and the Gender Divide

Bridget Mary Meehan in USA at 703-505-0004, 941-955-2313
or at sofiabmm@aol.com

Peter was not a priest, bishop or pope/ Photos of Pink Smoke Rising Up for Justice in Sarasota, Fl.

You would never know from the media's coverage of the conclave that the cardinals are not rock stars. The coverage of this Conclave has been superficial.
I have not seen interviews with Catholic feminists or women priests . You would think it is all about the clothes, the black or white smoke etc. How about the meltdown of the global sexual abuse cover-up and the mafia-like money laundering charges, how about the Vati-leaks about the Curia's prostitution ring?
So often the media do not do their homework.
Jesus did not give infallible powers to the pope.
We know that Matthew 18, :18, Jesus gave the keys not to Peter alone but to the followers as a body.
As Gary Wills, concludes in his book, What Jesus Meant on p. 81, "From this Augustine concluded that Peter is just " a representative of the church"- and in fact the community as a whole had the power to include or exclude members in the early gatherings....While Peter is clearly the leading member of the Twelve, ...he, like all other apostles or disciples is not a priest-much less a bishop. There were no bishops in his lifetime and none in Rome till the second century as the letters of Ignatius of Antioch prove. ...Peter calls himself just one of the elders- not a priest, nor the first of elders. 1 Peter 5:1 The Catholic scholar Raymond Brown concluded, "Peter never served as the bishop or local administrator of any church, Antioch and Rome included." (p. 80 What Jesus Meant, Gary Will)

Today, in nine cities, faithful Catholics who are living an inclusive model of church prayed for a pope who would open the doors of the church to women as equals and partners in ministry.

In Rome and in Sarasota, Florida, we gathered to pray and share our dreams for Gospel equality.

Here are some photos. Enjoy! Feel free to share with others. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, sofiabmm@aol.com, www.arcwp.org

"Whooping It Up At the Conclave" by Eileen Di Franco

Like stars at the academy awards, the princes of the church, dressed alike in black cassocks with red piping, red sashes, and red beanies, arrived in Rome to the coos of appreciation from loyal Vatican fans. The entire city was ready. Stores were stocked with food and drink to feed the princes in the manner to which they were accustomed; double malt scotch, fine Italian wine, and lobster ravioli. The papal tailor had already made the white cassock in three sizes, his sewing machines ready at a moment’s notice to make instantaneous alterations. He added a cute little ermine lined red cape to the ensemble, just for effect. The guys were getting ready to elect a fellow who would wear that cunning red cape and perhaps a pair of $400 red shoes. No expense is ever spared when the time comes to elect the Pontifex maximus.

While the rest of us poor slobs are wallowing in our sins during Lent, the clan of Catholic cardinals has apparently given themselves a dispensation in order to keep that good Italian wine flowing. During preparations for the conclave, we hear no talk of Jesus on the cross, no talk of fasting or mortification. Lent has been set aside, trumped by something far more important. The cardinals didn’t come to Rome to self-abnegate. As the Franciscan cardinal Sean O’Malley commented to the laughs of reporter, it’s hard not to get a good meal in Rome. Cardinal Dolan, apparently a gourmand, is on hand to recommend the best Roman restaurants. He’s stocking up since the food at the conclave is apparently known to be less than satisfactory. No grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for the princes of the church, even the ones who cry poor. No, the cardinals came to con-celebrate themselves with food and song and lots of attention from the papal paparazzi. Getting oneself on the front page of “The New York Times” or as a guest on MSNBC to talk about becoming an absolute authority is one heady experience. Whooping it up rather than offering it up will be the mantra of this Lenten conclave.

So there they were, dressed in the robes of royalty, wearing large gold rings for the laity to kiss, some even arriving in limos, all the while fancying themselves to be the image of the poor carpenter from Galilee who owned one coat and preached poverty. Few of the throngs of reporters seem to appreciate the irony. If some odd person watching the pomp might have the inclination to comment on the obvious discrepancy between Christ and his alleged vicar to-be, it is clear that the ceremony co-opts any concerns. It’s been like this since the beginning. God is great. Cardinals must look and act great and wear stunning red ermine lined jackets in order to approximate the divine.

For those who have eyes to see, there will be, however, specters at the conclave, both dead and alive, who will take the triumphant edge off the pageantry. Pre-eminently, the ghost of John Paul II, who appointed the vast majority of the bishops as a reward for orthodoxy, will hover about the miters holding his living gift – a still unresolved sexual abuse scandal. Living but not attending, is the spirit of Robert Finn, bishop of Kansas City, to whom the former pope and all of the cardinals and bishops turned a blind eye as he was recently convicted of covering up clerical sexual abuse in spite of the zero tolerance norms touted by such luminaries like James Martin. And there’s Bernard Law who escaped to Rome to avoid jail time in the United States, living in Rome in perfect security, still able to call some of the pre-papal shots.

If one is a serious follower of Jesus, the humble carpenter from Galilee, who advised those who truly want to follow him to give away all of their possessions to the poor, the pomp and the circumstance, the discussion of God’s will, the siren song of obedience to men with clay feet, is merely a front, a façade, if you will. The cardinals can’t really care about Jesus or the People of God. If they did believe they were acting according to God’s will, they would behave and dress differently. It’s really that simple. What the cardinals cared about, what drove them to Rome in silken cassocks and limos, what made them offer their signet ring to be kissed by those who allegedly existed on a lower social level is power. The cardinals exude power, the kind of absolute power that was finished off in the rest of the world by World War I. It is this power that led them to commit the most serious sins and almost get away with it. Very few news people at the conclave are discussing the miasma of dark deeds that trail just about every single cardinal. If they do, it is framed in the language of percentages; only 70% of the people remain dismayed about the handling of the scandal, so let’s go with the 30% who love spectacle and triumphalism. Spectacle boosts ratings on the evening news.

The fact of the matter is that the cardinals have very dirty hands, so dirty in fact, that power and pomp can never erase it. While the cardinals might try to disguise this dirt by wearing jeweled gloves like Raymond Burke or hide them under the lacey frills of their vestments, the smell of unspeakable evil will permeate the papal conclave. Cardinals with very, very dirty hands will be electing a man who most probably will also have very dirty hands. Few are talking about this, as if the sexual abuse of children and its cover up is an historical accident that is now past and thus meaningless, as if these men had nothing to do with it. Only God can judge, the cardinals might say, dusting off the shoulders that might some day bear the red cape. So God did, in person.

…………..

Now, Italian women don’t wear sweat pants in public, especially if they are a dirty pink. They also don’t wear camouflage jackets. Consequently, the carabinieri are unused to seeing women dressed so appallingly in their midst and felt the need to investigate the strange woman, especially since she was singing loudly. As they approached the woman in an attempt to remove her from the streets of Vatican City, something in her face with the missing front teeth and disheveled gray hair stopped them. And so, the woman made her way unmolested until she reached the Synod Hall where the cardinals were meeting for something called the “General Congregation,” a place where men jockeyed for electoral position prior to the actual conclave, a big getting to know you party, if you will. The woman just walked right by the impervious Swiss guards standing at attention in their striped and plumed best.

At first, the American cardinals had been engaging in a very secular practice – holding press conferences-while cardinals from other countries gave impromptu interviews in the street. Then the cardinals were directed to seal their lips. Although transparency would seem to be in the best interest of a church renown for stashing away its numerous skeletons in the closet, the cardinals, always of one obedient mind regardless of the consequences, complied. The camerlengo went so far as to install anti-bugging devices and blackout curtains – dutifully sewn by one of the few women who had anything to do with the conclave- in the Sistine Chapel where the conclave will be held. Silence in an effort to avoid scandal in all things is, apparently, golden.

After downing one of those delicious Roman lunches Cardinal O’Malley so appreciated, the cardinals reassembled in Synod Hall to hash out pre-conclave problems. Suddenly, the sound of trumpets blared out, “Now Thank We All, Our God.” The cardinals, unsure as to the origin of the music, stood en masse and began to sing their hearts out-

and then stopped on a dime when a dirty woman in pink sweat pants and a camouflage jacket walked onto the stage bowing and lifting up her hands, in the traditional papal wave saying, “My sons, my sons” in a language everyone could understand.

The music continued to play as God held Her Hands above Her Head and danced. The Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Sodano walked on stage to hustle the woman from the stage while the camerlengo, Cardinal Bertone apologized profusely for such an egregious insult to the honor of his princely brothers. There was no place for any woman at the conclave, unless she was emptying the trash while the cardinals were sitting at their evening meal in the local trattoria. When Bertone could not budge the woman, Cardinals William Levada and Raymond Burke bustled on to the stage. The other cardinals were completely disgusted. It was bad enough that a woman had invaded their hallowed space with her presence. This woman was a dirty woman.

After Burke failed to shove the woman from the stage, he stood in front of her in an attempt to reason with her. The woman’s green eyes sparkled with mirth as she gazed upon the uniformed, angry men standing before Her hurling epithets like, “disgraceful,” and “shameful.” Through her broken teeth, God said, “I am rejected and despised yet again. Would you, Raymond, also deny the Lord your God?”

Burke took so many steps backwards that he almost fell off the stage. Rather than fall, he plopped down on his sacred posterior, his red beanie hanging from his ear.

Her voice arose about the shouts. “Would you, my children, deny the Lord, thy God?”

“She’s not God,” Cardinal Pell of Australia yelled, “She’s a devil! Throw her out!”

A chorus of male voices chanted, “Throw her out, throw her out, throw her

out!!”

And so, those who believed they imaged the divine threw the Lord their God out of the meeting where they were supposed to elect the one who would speak infallibly in Her Name. The random few who felt badly about the whole thing could not bring themselves to say anything publicly in fear that it would jeopardize their chance to be pope. One man thought that if elected, he would make sure he would find the woman and apologize to her. The rest sat in stony silence. They were quite fed up with this break in security. Small wonder that things were the way they were in Rome with these clowns running the conclave like they ran the Vatican with leaks all over the place. There was a reason why things never changed.

Thus, God was expelled from the midst of the pre-conclave meetings and walked where God can always be found – among the people. Only She knows if She will return.

Eileen M.DiFranco

March 11, 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

Vatican Conclave Begins But Where Are the Women? Women Priests: "open the doors of the conclave and let your sisters in!"

As the Conclave meets, where are the women? We say, open the doors of the conclave, let your sisters in, let the people of God in. The Vatican gave flowers to women on International Women's Day, but what women really want is full equality.

At Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community women and men are partners in living Jesus’ example of Gospel equality. All are welcome to receive sacraments.

Roman Catholic Women Priests are ordained in apostolic succession because a male bishop with apostolic succession and in communion with the pope ordained our first bishops! He told the women that he ordained them to promote justice in our church.

The Risen Christ appeared first to Mary of Magdala and commissioned her to be the apostle to the apostles. The Catholic Church should follow the example of Jesus and treat women as equals and partners in the Gospel.

It has been ten years since seven women were ordained on the Danube in 2002. In 2006, 12 women were ordained in Pittsburgh in the first U.S. Ordinations. Now there are approximately 150 Women Priests in Europe, U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

As part of an international Roman Catholic Women Priests initiative, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests claims justice as constitutive of the Gospel and equality as a human right. Our vision is justice for all, justice for the poor, justice for women, and justice for women in the church including ordination.

Women priests are visible reminders that women are equal images of God, and therefore worthy to preside at the altar. We are living prophetic obedience to the Spirit by disobeying an unjust, man-made, canon law that discriminates against women in our church. Sexism, like racism, is a sin. Like Rosa Parks, whose refusal to sit in the back of the bus helped to ignite the civil rights movement, the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests are not leaving the church, but leading the Catholic Church into a new era of justice and equality. No punishment, including excommunication, can stop this movement of the Spirit. In fact, one could argue that Pope Benedict has made excommunication the new fast track to canonization because he canonized two nuns who were excommunicated by their bishops during the life times.

Perhaps, our new pope will affirm women priests as gift of God to the people of God.

Meanwhile, we walk with all who pray for and work for justice and equality in a more inclusive church today!

Media Contacts: Janice Sevre-Duszynska 859-684-4247
rhythmsofthedance@gmail.com
Bridget Mary Meehan 703-505-0004, 941-955-2313
sofiabmm@aol.com
www.arcwp.org

Janice Sevre Duszynska, Witness for Women Priests and Gospel Equality at Vatican/Conclave

We in Roman Catholic Women Priests Worldwide and our entire Church, at this historic time,
have reason to be grateful for the continued prophetic witnessing to justice issues that
Janice Sevre Duzynska brings everywhere she goes. Her current issue?
The ordination of women in the Roman Catholic Church.

Janice Sevre-Duszynska at Vatican on March 7, 2013

I recall an account when, some years ago, she vested in a black alb
and prostrated herself on the ground where US Bishops were gathering
for an annual meeting. They could not miss her message as they had to step on her
if they did not step around her. In her body and her posture she signified the condition
of women in the Roman Catholic Church whose calling to priesthood will not be heard
by those who insist on an absolute "NO" to even discussing the issue.

But this past Thursday, March 7, 2013 Janice was temporarily detained by Italian police
for demonstrating in her ongoing petitions for the ordination of women . This time, she
demonstrated in St. Peter's Square fully vested in her white alb and green stole.
The difference now is that she is a Roman Catholic Woman Priest validly though illicitly
ordained. The reality is that no one can undo her ordination or ours in Roman Catholic Women Priests.
We are here and we invite women to consider ordination as a reality now unfolding.

We invite the Roman Curia to seriously re-consider their views regarding the impossibility of women's ordination.
Because these are deeply misogynist and speak to the sin of sexism, the call is to a conversional experience. As well we are ordained into a model of prieshood oriented to a non- clerical culture that includes all the People of God
in discipleship of equals communities. Such communities were implied already in the Second Vatican Council. and many
people have embraced such ways of worship in the interim years until now.

In conclusion, for me it is heartening to see Janice and other Roman Catholic Women Priests, as well as women from
World Ordination Conference and men, such as Father Roy Bourgeois, standing in solidarity with us and with other reform groups present. In one photo, Janice blesses all in a gesture of peace, the peace sign familiar worldwide and begun for protesting the
injustices of the Viet Nam war.

To link this well known sign to the injustice of the denial of ordination to Roman Catholic Women opens wells of meaning that merit deep consideration on the part of all willing to engage overall justice within the Roman Catholic Church itself.

Rev. Dr. Michele Birch-Conery
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
Nanaimo. BC
Canada

"Faithful Prescribe Traits of Next Pope" Interview with Katy Zatsick, RCWP

http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/life/2013/mar/10/faithful-prescribe-traits-of-next-pope-ar-654395/

"That "truth" doesn't resonate with Katy Zatsick of Sarasota, who was ordained through the Fort Myers-based Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, a noncanonical movement that recognizes female clergy. She says she was called to the priesthood years ago, but if she waited for the church to accept women in that role, "It never would have happened in my lifetime."
Because she isn't recognized by the hierarchy, Zatsick cannot perform priestly duties in a recognized church. Instead, she presides over small groups in "intentional Eucharistic communities" that generally meet in homes.
"Women are second-class citizens in the church," she says. "It's a spiritual dictatorship that's in place now. The cardinals and bishops in power now are just old men trying to build up their kingdom, not Christ's."
A pope who would give women the equality they deserve would be an answer to her prayers. But she's not counting on it.

"I had to move forward on my own because the church wouldn't," she says. "I hope my ordination will inspire generations of women to come. The status quo doesn't have to be in place forever."

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Excommunicated Female Priest Detained at Vatican: Janice Sevre-Duszynska and Interview with Bridget Mary Meehan, Church Needs More Female Leaders/ Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/janice-sevre-duszynska-excommunicated-female-priest-vatican_n_2832062.html

PINK SMOKE RISES: Women Priests, Married Priests and Catholics in Sarasota, Florida Gather in support of Gender Justice

Contact: Roman Catholic Women Priests: Bridget Mary Meehan, sofiabmm@aol.com, 941-955-2313, Katy Zatsick, katyrcwp@tampabay.rr.com, 813-938-5750, www.arcwp.org, www.bridgetmarysblogspot.com

For Immediate Release

Mon: March 10, 2013

Catholics Send Up Pink Smoke in Front of St. Andrew UCC

And Celebrate a Mass with Women Priests and Married Priests

To Support Women Priests in the Church

WHAT: Local Catholics will gather at St. Andrew UCC on March 12^th at 10:30 am for a prayerful liturgy calling for full equality for women in the Catholic Church. We pray for a new pope who will honor women's voices in Church decision-making and will affirm women priests and married priests in the institutional church. This vigil is part of an international series of protest vigils in response to the male-only conclave deciding the next Pope.

WHERE: St. Andrew UCC at 6908 Beneva Rd., Sarasota, Florida 34238
WHEN: Tuesday, March 12^th at 10:30 am

WHO: Approximately 30 Catholics and women’s ordination supporters will gather locally; additional vigils will take place in ten cities throughout the U.S. and in Rome.

WHY: The male-only College of Cardinals will gather to elect the next Pope in the coming days. We gather to bring worldwide attention to the lack of women’s voices at the conclave, and protest the ban on women from all leadership and decision-making positions in the Catholic church.

For more information on this vigil call Bridget Mary Meehan at 941-955-2313 and 703-505-0004, visit www.arcwp.org, visit marymotherofjesus.org, visit www.bridgetmarysblogspot, and for the nationwide vigils, see www.womensordination.org or contact the Women’s Ordination Conference, 202-675-1006

# # #

"Where are the Women?' Media Statement from Women Church Convergence

Janice Sevre-Duszynska, A Roman Catholic Woman Priest at the Vatican

Where are the Catholic women as the Cardinals meet
in secrecy to elect from among themselves the next
leader of the Catholic Church? Where is the other half of the Conclave?

Some women are protesting in St. Peter's Square demanding an equal part in the institutional church. Other women are in the parish pews praying for the next pope. But the vast majority of young and seasoned Catholic women are making their own choices about their faith and their lives. They are working to eradicate injustice, ministering to those in need, and celebrating the goodness of creation. They are exercising their moral authority despite the exclusionary ways of the hierarchy.

Knowing that the papal election and the Roman Catholic hierarchical church are designed to exclude them, countless Catholic women are meeting their spiritual needs outside of the institution. They have discovered and developed a dynamic paradigm rooted in the message of Jesus focused on equality and community. They are moving beyond the patriarchal hierarchy, creating church communities that are meaningful and nourishing. They are acting with a love for justice that demands no less.

Catholic women invite the cardinals to take off their scarlet robes and leave their privileged places. Let them join with the people of God in a new form of Catholic community, a “discipleship of equals,” that will never again have to ask, “Where are the women?”

Contact: Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP at 859-684-4247
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP at 703-505-0004

Cardinals Must Call a General Council at Conclave

http://christiancatholicism.com/cardinals-must-call-a-general-council-at-the-conclave/

Radio Interview with Hans Kung

http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/shows/2013/03/10/hans-kung/

Friday, March 8, 2013

Google Alerts Featuring Stories About Janice Sevre-Duszynska, A Roman Catholic Woman Priest, in Rome

In run-up to pope election, dissidents seek voice
San Francisco Chronicle
___ ROMAN CATHOLIC WOMENPRIESTS/WOMEN'S ORDINATION CONFERENCE: Roman Catholic Womenpriests was founded in Germany in 2002 after seven women said they were ...

In run-up to pope election, dissidents seek voice
New Jersey Herald
Roman Catholic Womenpriests was founded in Germany in 2002 after seven women said they were ordained as priests on the Danube River in violation of church ...

http://www.kentucky.com/2013/03/08/2547781/in-run-up-to-pope-election-dissidents.html

Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Excommunicated Woman Bishop from Kentucky ...
WFPL
Janice Sevre-Duszynska is one 150 women priests in the world who are not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Standing in liturgical robes outside St.

Vatican brings flowers amid debate on women's role
The Associated Press

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini). In this photo taken on Thursday, March 7, 2013 Janice Sevre-Duszynska poses at the Vatican

... pick the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, half of them women. ... a member of the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement who says she was ...

Links in Spanish:

http://internacional.biobiochile.cl/notas/2013/03/07/sacerdotista-excomulgada-es-detenida-tras-exigir-participacion-de-mujeres-en-el-conclave.shtml

http://www.tiempo.hn/el-mundo/noticias/detienen-a-sacerdotisa-excomulgada-frente-al-vaticano

http://noticias.terra.es/mundo/renuncia-y-sucesor-de-benedicto-xvi/detienen-a-sacerdotisa-excomulgada-frente-al-vaticano,e49b81fdbd44d310VgnCLD2000000dc6eb0aRCRD.html

Conclave a Face when Women have no say/Interview with Mary Hunt

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2341586799/

"Women in the Shadows in Vatican Conclave"/ Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a Roman Catholic Woman Priest is in Rome for Conclave

Women in the shadows in Vatican conclave

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini). In this photo taken on Thursday, March 7, 2013 Janice Sevre-Duszynska poses with a banner at the Vatican

Excommunicated female priest Janice Sevre-Duszynska holds a banner that reads "Women Priests are Here" in Rome on March 7, 2013. The American said the idea that only men should decide on the next pope who will rule over both men and women was "a mockery".

A car passes by Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on March 7, 2013. Vatican observers say that of the 115 cardinal electors who may become pope, none are likely to overturn centuries of ingrained gender bias in the Church.

Image taken by the Vatican Press Office on February 28, 2013 shows Benedict XVI greeting the crowd from Castel Gandolfo near Rome. Benedict XVI cracked down on liberal, "feminist" nuns, but the hope among campaigners now is that the next pope could open the way to dialogue on the role of women in the Church.

Excommunicated female priest Janice Sevre-Duszynska is pictured in Rome on March 7, 2013. "Not hearing the opinions of half of the world is like a slap in the face," she said.

AFP - As Roman Catholic cardinals prepare a secret conclave in the Vatican to choose a new pope, the only woman seen taking part in the preparations has been the seamstress sewing the ceremonial tablecloths.
The most important decision in the life of the Church is being taken with one half of the Catholic community either looking on or playing an auxiliary role as the male hierarchy deliberates.
"Not hearing the opinions of half of the world is like a slap in the face," said Janice Sevre-Duszynska, who was excommunicated by the Vatican after her unofficial ordination as a female priest.
Speaking to AFP on the eve of International Women's Day on Friday, the American said the idea that only men should decide on the next pope who will rule over both men and women was "a mockery".
Sevre-Duszynska was quickly detained by police for demonstrating at the Vatican in her ceremonial robes, with police saying they wanted to check that she had the "right to wear those vestments".
Benedict XVI cracked down on liberal, "feminist" nuns, but the hope among campaigners now is that the next pope could open the way to dialogue on the role of women in the Church -- and possibly even tackle the hot-button issue of women priests.
Vatican observers say that of the 115 cardinal electors who may become pope, none are likely to overturn centuries of ingrained gender bias in the Church, which insists women cannot be priests because Jesus Christ's apostles were all men.
Neither can they be popes: according to legend, a female pope was elected in the Middle Ages, but was caught out when she gave birth.
Once exposed, "Pope Joan" was apparently bound by her feet to a horse tail by outraged cardinals and dragged to death through the streets of Rome.
Campaigners say modern-day scandals -- from clerical sex abuse to accusations of fraud at the Vatican bank and bickering in the government -- could be tackled by revolutionising the mediaeval institution and opening its doors to women.
"We need structural reforms across the board. Women can help bring greater transparency," said theologian Cristiana Simonelli.
"Their exclusion makes it doubly hard, for example, for the Church to address questions of sexuality and abuse," she said.
The conclave to elect Benedict's successor has yet to begin, but many say a voice for women within the Church should be top of the cardinals' list.
"I feel sorry for the cardinals," said Christine Anderson of the Faith and Praxis association.
"There must be good men among them but it will be hard for them to make their voices heard within that closed-minded institution," she said.
"The Vatican is not in touch with reality. It reprimands so-called radical nuns for daring to join the debate on political and social issues but it doesn't realise we have more faith in our little fingers than them," she added.
Last year, the US Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) was rebuked for straying too far from Catholic doctrine, and the man tapped to haul them into line was stripped of his post for attempting to reconcile with them.
Benedict also denounced Austrian priests who had launched the Pfarrer (Priest) Initiative in 2006 which calls for the clergy to be opened to women to relieve a growing shortages of priests in the increasingly secularised West.
Within the Vatican, around 20 percent of employees are women -- secretaries, restorers, archaeologists, journalists -- and they earn the same as their male counterparts according to Gudrun Sailer, author of a book on Vatican women.
Under Benedict's reign, the Vatican's official daily L'Osservatore Romano launched a monthly insert entitled "Women, Church, World", and staff writer Lucetta Scaraffia says it debates the unrecognised role of women in the Roman Catholic Church.
"But the Vatican's highest offices are out of reach, because canonical law means only those who have been ordained can hold them. It's not so much a glass ceiling for women in the Vatican, as a reinforced concrete one," Sailer said.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the only women involved in the historic ceremony to elect a new pope "are there to serve the cardinals".
Sevre-Duszynska and fellow female priests have said they want to set off pink flares at the Vatican when the white smoke appears over the Sistine Chapel to signal that a new pope has been elected in a "Pink Smoke" protest.
"The current conclave system remains an 'old boys club'," said Erin Saiz Hanna, head of the Women's Ordination Conference, headquartered in Washington.
"The Vatican's decisions affect a huge amount of women around the globe. It's time they agreed to dialogue with us, to let us speak," she said.

Translate