Roman Catholic Women Priests? by Phyllis Zagano/Why I Disagree with Phyllis Zagano on Women Priests by Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/roman-catholic-women-priests/2012/10/12/fada01aa-14bd-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_blog.html  As a bishop in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, I disagree with Phyllis Zagano's characterization of the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement in the Washington Post. She said: "Theological hairsplitting aside,  the official Catholic determination is no, they are not Catholic and even within their own movement they are not priests."  First: Roman Catholic Women Priests are faithful Catholics who  love our church and offer the gift of a renewed priestly ministry in an inclusive church where all are welcome to receive sacraments. By our baptism we are Catholic and will always be! No one, not even the Pope, can cancel our baptism! Galations 3:28 reminds us that by our baptism  men and women are equal images of Christ. Therefore, women are worthy to preside at the altar. Women priests are visible reminders that all women are equal images of God and that it is time to begin the healing  process of centuries of misogyny in our church. Like the women in the Gospels mentioned in Luke 8:1-3, women priests are following Jesus's call to discipleship, equality and partnership.   Like  Mother Theodore Guerin and Mother Mary McKillop, who were excommunicated by the church hierarchy, and  later canonized saints, we believe that faithful Catholics must always follow their consciences no matter what the cost. Obedience to God always trumps obedience to church laws. Women Priests are living prophetic obedience by disobeying an unjust law that discriminates against women in our church. Second : RCWP ordinations are valid because our first bishops were ordained by a unnamed bishop in apostolic succession and in communion with the Pope. Third: there is scholarly evidence that women were not only  ordained deacons,  but were also ordained priests and bishops during the first twelve hundred years of church history. See  Professor Gary Macy's book, The Hidden History of Women's Ordination and Catholic theologian Dorothy Irvin's archaeological evidence of women in ordained ministry  in the ancient world. Fourth: Dr. Zagano cites Jesus' words: "do this in memory of me" to support the Vatican position of the Last Supper as Jesus selection of a male priesthood.   On the contrary, these words indicate that Jesus gave Eucharist to the church. Jesus did not ordain twelve male apostles at the Last Supper. The Twelve represents the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  Jesus' words remind us that the Eucharist  is a Sacred Meal that we share to celebrate the Christ Presence in our midst and the Christ Presence that we are as the  Body of Christ in the World.  In other words the Body of Christ is on the table, at the table and around the table. Contemporary theologian Bernard Cook reminds us that the gathered assembly  is the celebrant of Eucharist. It is the entire community that performs the eucharistic action, not the presider alone. Historical scholarship supports this conclusion and goes even farther. Gary Macy concludes from his research in Middle Ages manuscripts that, in the understanding of the medieval mind, regardless of who spoke the words of consecration - man or woman, ordained or community -  the Christ presence became reality in the  midst of the assembly. (National Catholic Reporter. Jan. 9, 1998 p.5) Yes, indeed, For the Vatican, Roman Catholic Women Priests are a revolution, but for millions of Catholics, we are a holy shakeup whose time has come!

Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org sofiabmm@aol.com, 703-505-0004