...."Catholics cannot take communion if they are divorced. Catholic doctrine holds that marriage is permanent and indissoluble. Priests and parishioners often make divorced Catholics feel judged and ostracized.
A Catholic woman told the Times she was particularly annoyed when a priest she knew was guilty of abusing minors. “I wasn’t worthy to receive communion while the guy giving communion was a molester,” she said. “It is terribly unjust.”A loving church would acknowledge that 28 percent of Catholic marriages end in divorce and that 50 percent of all American marriages result in divorce. A loving church would realize that marriages do fall apart. Adulterous husbands are intolerable. Physically and mentally abusive husbands are intolerable.Catholics can annul a marriage. But as the Times reported: “Many Catholics find the annulment process intrusive, cumbersome and costly. Annulments can cost hundreds of dollars.”
One Catholic woman from St. Louis tells why the process alienates her: “You’re dealing with an abusive husband. Then you go to a man to get an annulment. Then a bunch of men sit at a table to decide whether to grant an annulment.” The church needs women’s liberation.:
Bridget Mary's Response:
The institutional church needs women priests to bring women's wisdom, including the Gospel interpreted from women's experiences. Yes, to Vatican 111 that includes the entire people of God and genuine reform of church teaching on all the hot button issues!
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org
No comments:
Post a Comment