Bill Keller "the Rottweilers, Rottweiler"/ New York Times/Women Priests and Gutsy Nuns are as Catholic as Pope and Bill Donohue

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/opinion/keller-the-rottweilers-rottweiler.html?src=me&ref=general

 ..."There are many nuns who hold fast to the church out of genuine devotion. But there are others who stay out of fear — fear that they will grow old alone, fear of penury and homelessness, fear of losing purpose.

Thankfully, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has offered us one possible remedy for this problem. As Laurie Goodstein documented in The Times recently, when he was archbishop of Milwaukee Dolan authorized payments of up to $20,000 to predator priests if they agreed to leave the clergy without resisting. He described this as “an act of charity.” Bill Donohue calls it “a severance package.”

I suggest that any long-serving nun who has come to find church teachings incompatible with her conscience should be offered a generous severance. We could call these acts of charity “Dolan Grants.” Surely a church that offers a lifeline to men who brought disgrace on the institution can offer a living stipend to women who brought it honor at great sacrifice."

Bridget Mary's Reflection:

Bill Keller's solution is humorous and a slap-down to Cardinal Timothy of Dolan who paid off predatory priests when he was Archbishop of Milwaukee.

The real issue here is that the nuns, like all the baptized, are the church as defined by the authoritative teaching of Vatican II.  So, why should we cede our church to the hierarchy or spokesmen like Bill Donohue. Roman Catholic Women Priests are just as Catholic as the Pope is or for that matter as Mr. Donohue, "the Rottweilers, Rotweiller" claims! It is our church and we are not leaving, we are leading it into a new era of justice and equality for women. For some the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is a new spiritual uprising, but for millions it is a "holy shakeup" whose time has come!  Let's hear it for gutsy nuns who stand up for Gospel equality and who minister on the margins to the marginalized. I can't wait for the public ordinations of nuns! If Jesus was walking this earth, which "church" do you think he'd join?  (Can you see him in good old boys club in the Vatican or would he be excommunicated for treating women as equals?)

Bridget Mary Meehan, sfcc, arcwp, www.arcwp.org , sofiabmm@aol.com