Roman Catholic Womenpriests:Sign Women's Ordination Conference Petition, Write Letters in support of Fr. Roy Bourgeois and all Excommuniated Women

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Support Fr. Roy Bourgeois and All Excommunicated Women

Take Action today! Sign the Petition
Join Petition drive coordinated by The Women's Ordination Movement
( link to petition that you can sign below)
write letters to church officials in support of Fr. Roy Bourgeois

Dear Members and Friends,
On October 21, 2008, the Vatican sent a letter to the Maryknoll community stating that Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest of 36 years, has 30 days to recant his statement of public support of women's ordination or he will be automatically excommunicated.

Fr. Bourgeois co-presided and gave the homily during the ordination ceremony of Roman Catholic Womenpriest, Janice Sevre-Duszynska, which took place on August 9 in Lexington, Ky.
The Women's Ordination Conference has initiated a petition, with Roman Catholics Womenpriests and Call to Action as partners, to support Fr. Bourgeois. The petition will be sent to Pope Benedict XVI; the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Pietro Sambi; and Maryknoll Superior General, John Sivalon.
Please forward the petition link to your friends. In addition, we encourage you to send letters to the editor and op eds to your local papers.

Sign the petition now! and read Fr. Roy's letter to the Vatican

* Calling on all women and men religious and priests! * We are asking Roman Catholic women and men religious and priests to join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and hundreds of women called to ordination, as we break the silence and take a prophetic stance on the issue of women's ordination into an inclusive and accountable Catholic Church. Please email Erin Saiz Hanna at ehanna@womensordination.org if you are able to help us break the silence on women's ordination. We must urge Fr. Roy's superiors to stand in solidarity with him -- like Sr. Joan Chittister's order supported her after the Vatican's instruction to not speak at the first Women's Ordination Worldwide conference in Dublin, Ireland in 2001. We must break the pattern of fear and silence to let Catholics around the world, including the Vatican, know that Fr. Roy does not stand alone. If you are unable to give us your name at this time, please consider listing yourself as "anonymous" and including your religious community or diocesan affiliation.Thank you for taking action!Women's Ordination Conference


PLEASE READ AND CIRCULATE Friends:Here is the latest communication, dated November 7, 2008, from Fr. Roy Bourgeois regarding the threat of excommunication by Rome for refusing to stop speaking out in favor of Women Priests in the Catholic Church. I have also enclosed some action items with addresses where people can write. Please take the time to read this and take action. Please feel free to send this to all the justice people you know.Justice and Peace,Bill Quigley


ACTIONS TO SUPPORT - Rev. Roy Bourgeois - 11/08

Some have asked for addresses to write their support of Fr. Roy and to ask that he not be excommunicated. Petitions are also appropriate.

Please write or fax or email to Pope Benedict XVI, and/or the Pope’s Ambassador to the U.S., the Apostolic Nuncio, and/or the Congregation for Doctrine of Faith, the group that is moving toward excommunication of Fr. Roy Bourgeois, and/or The leaders of the Maryknoll Order. Their addresses are below.

Please send a cc of any message or petitions you send to:
Bill Quigley – Attorney for Fr. Roy
7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 902
New Orleans, LA 70118 or
duprestars@yahoo.com

ADDRESSES TO WRITE:

Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio3339 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W, Washington, DC, 20008-3610).

USATelephone: (202) 333-7121Fax: 337-4036

Pope Benedict XVI
00120 Via del Pellegrino
Citta del Vaticano, Europe
The Pope’s email address (for English correspondence) is: benedictxvi@vatican.va
FAX from USA: 011-39-06698-85378

Congregation for Doctrine of Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11, 00193 Roma, Italy
Telephone: 06.69.88.33.57; 06.69.88.34.13
Fax: 06.69.88.34.09

Superior General, John Sivalon at jsivalon@maryknoll.org and to the three-member Maryknoll Council at mklcouncil@maryknoll.org and/or fax to 914-944-3600Write to: Maryknoll Council P.O. Box 303 Maryknoll, NY 10545

Again, please send a cc of your message to
Bill Quigley – Attorney for Fr. Roy
7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 902
New Orleans, LA 70118
duprestars@yahoo.com