Bishop Andrea Johnson
RCWP Gloria Carpeneto
Left Gloria Carpeneto and right Andrea Johnson
were interviewed today on CNN American Morning/International
Contact Information:
Scroll down on cnn site to picture of Andrea:
"Female Priests Raising Papal Eyebrows"
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/16/roman-catholic-women-priests/
Carol Costello, CNN Story Highlights:
"Some Catholic women aren't waiting for an answer from the Vatican - they say they've figured out a way around the traditional church and are leading Catholic congregations.
Gloria Carpeneto is one of them. She says she was ordained, thanks to an unnamed male bishop who secretly ordained the first female priests and bishops in 2002. Those women then ordained other women like Carpeneto, who says she is now able to hold mass every Sunday, in priestly robes, in front of small, but loyal congregations in Maryland.
"It struck me that I did not want to go to another faith tradition to be ordained," said Carpeneto...And so the notion of being in the Roman Catholic Church within the Roman Catholic tradition meant a lot to me."...
Despite that, the movement to ordain women priests is growing. That first group of seven women ordained in 2002 has grown. There are now five bishops, 47 priests, 10 deacons, and 16 candidates for formation to priesthood in the United States.Andrea Johnson, who considers herself a Catholic bishop, is thrilled by the numbers..."It's Catholicism that needs us," she said. "We need the voices of men and women. We need everyone to work together in community, and I think the more we do of that the healthier the Church will be..."
www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
Bridget Mary's Reflection:
Roman Catholic Womenpriests are growing and the church, the people of God, are accepting us. It is the hierarchy and the Vatican that is have a hard time with female priests. Sexism is a sin. It is wrong for any institution to discriminate against anyone including women. The full equality of women in the church and society is the Voice of God in our time. Bridget Mary Meehan, RCWP, sofiabmm@aol.com, 703-505-0004
4 comments:
Bridget Mary,
From your view, why does the teaching "The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer ordination upon women" equal discrimination?
In order for something to be discrimination, you first have to prove a right or entitlement. In other words in order for the Church to be discriminating against women, you first have to prove that the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a fundamental right, something which every baptized Christian is entitled to recieve.
Since the reception of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a priviledge and a calling, not a right or entitlement, how is the Church discriminating against women?
I believe it is discrimination because men who are called by God to the priesthood may be ordained while women who are called by God to the priesthood may not be.
"The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer ordination upon women" is also untrue because there were women priests in the church during the first millennium.
The priest stands at the altar representing Christ. We are all in the image of God, both men and women (as the book of Genesis makes clear). To say only men can represent Christ in the mass is wrong and sexist.
Julian Gardiner
London, England
Julian,
Well, I thank you for interacting with my post.
I have a few thoughts:
1)You argue in a circular way. In other words you are assuming what you desire to prove. The very question is whether women are called to serve in the capacity of priests in the Ministerial sense. You assume women are in fact called to do so, then argue that the Church is discriminating against women because the Church will not permit women to follow their call. But you have not proven God is calling women to the priesthood, you have assumed it in your argument.
2) One might be called by God for service in the Church, but that call is never discerned independently of the Church. Paul the Apostle was the perfect example: God called him directly- yet he could not carry out that call until it was confirmed by the Apostles.
3) The priest stands at the altar representing Christ...women can bear the image of God too, therefore women can be priests. This does not follow. While women bear the image of God, they bear the image of God as distinct from men. Women bear the image of God in the sense that they image the Body of Christ. Men bear the image of God in the sense that they image Christ as head of the Body.
Your problem like most people who support women's ordination is that you confuse the concept of equality with the concept of sameness.
4) Women were ordained in the early centuries? Why does it sound like you are parroting Gary Macy?
Very Weak Mr. Apologist !
Jesus was a Jewish man. Read up on table celebrations. Women would have been in the room too.
And you always start out with the "concept of equality".
Mysoginistic thinking and practices created this idea through the thousands of years that MAN is God's choice and WOMAN is not.
The Lord chooses us all in our baptism. If a WOMAN is called as a Catholic priest, then who is called to be the judge and say "no".
And please do not start the rambling canon citations. They were all written by guess who ...MEN.
It was not a practice to educate Women in the thousands of years past. In some countries a woman risks her life or part of her body, just for breaking some religious law (again created by misogynists) that outlaws educating a woman. Or a woman going out without permision from a male family member.
Many established ancient religions practice sexism and deliberate power motives. However, ours in the Catholic church have come to an end. No more sexism, no more power for the papists.
YOU are assuming that God has not called women to the priesthood (the counter point from your earlier statement and always one of your beginning points). Were you in the room ? Is there a digital video that has not been retouched (or re-written, re -interpreted, re-powered).
What kind of God would NOT want women to be priests ? Our Most Loving Lord welcomes ALL of us, as he has created all of us.
The vatican is running a CLUB if they refuse to recognize the ordination of women. The Lord lets us all know the things, to bad dominance and superiority has been in the way far to many centuries!
If Bridget Mary reads this, which I doubt she gets the time as she has a STAFF, I am sure they are all laugh !
To the Staff, tell Bridget Mary to keep on WALKING ! We are many and we are all right their with her and we have been called !
I am laughing at this "but the call is never discerned independently of the Church" Whose church ? Should say CLUB ! Sounds more like a call for American Express cards of Green, Silver and Gold. Ranks and smacks of the elite - which in this age old tradition of the Catholic Church has been the Man.
Lord forgive them, we are helping them to realize what they have not seen, nor heard what they could not read ! We gentle and COURAGEOUS WOMEN will continue to share the Catholic Church with the Man as a priest, after all MEN are your loving creation too ! The Women priests are the same called be you. And Yes Lord, we know there are so many missions and works to be done, that is why we are serving in them, as RCWP !
Amen.
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