"Bourgeois Disinvited from SNAP Phildelphia Fundraiser" by Tom Roberts/National Catholic Reporter/Bridget Mary's Response

http://ncronline.org/news/people/bourgeois-disinvited-snap-philadelphia-fundraiser

"Roy Bourgeois, a former Maryknoll priest, has been disinvited from a Philadelphia-area fundraising event for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) because some members of the organization feared he would use the event to advance the cause of women's ordination...Bourgeois told NCR in a phone interview he was "disappointed and baffled" by his dis-invitation. He said he "rearranged my plans to attend a fundraising event for an organization which I hold in high regard. Then came the disinviting."

"I was going there to support that organization and their cause," he said, "not to talk about women's ordination."At the same time, he said, "I really believe that if we had had women in the clergy all along, we wouldn't have a need for this fundraiser because they never would have covered up for the old boys' club..."

"I always say, 'Over 5,000 priests in the United States have sexually abused or raped more than 12,000 children. When Catholics hear the word "scandal," they don't think about women's ordination. They think of priests who abused children and bishops who covered it up.' "

[Tom Roberts is NCR editor at large. His email address is troberts@ncronline.org. NCR national correspondent Joshua J. McElwee contributed to this report.]

Bridget Mary's Response:

It is a sad day when organizations like SNAP, who support sexual abuse survivors, do not stand in solidarity with justice for women in the church. Women's rights  are not a "political" issue, but a human rights issue. Women priests are leading the church into a new era of equality, rooted in the example of Jesus in the Gospels. SNAP's disinviting of Roy Bourgeois is a missed opportunity to listen to a prophetic voice who connects the dots of clericalism to abuse in its many forms. Bridget Mary Meehan, arcwp, www.arcwp.org