Rev. Christina Moreira, ARCWP, Participates in Prophetic Witness for Women’s Equality and Service to the People of God in the Roman Catholic Church in Paris, France

From: Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP)

Release date: 07/22/2020

Contacts: Christina Moreira ARCWP

Phone: 00 34 676 817 226

galilea.luz@gmail.com

Janice Sevre Duszynska ARCWP

Phone: (859) 684-4247 

rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com

For more information on ARCWP: https://arcwp.org/

Rev. Christina Moreira, ARCWP, To Participate in Prophetic Witness for Women’s Equality and Service to the People of God in the Roman Catholic Church in Paris, France

On July 22^nd, Rev. Christina Moreira of Spain will participate in a prophetic witness for women’s equality in the Roman Catholic Church.

With six other Roman Catholic women, they will apply to leadership positions – some ordained, some not – in the Roman Catholic Church. Together, they will bring their letters of application to the Apostolic Nunciature of France and request an audience with Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to France. They will then attend a mass at La Madeleine, Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Paris, France, to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene.

Christina will offer her services as an already ordained priest to be the pastor of one of France's many priest-less parishes.

The event is organized by Toutes Apôtres ! (All Women Apostles!), a new feminist Catholic group co-created by Alix Bayle, Anne Guillard (co-founder of Catholic feminist group Oh My Goddess!), Hélène Pichon, Valentine Rinner (co-founder of Catholic feminist group Oh My Goddess!) and Anne Soupa (president of  Catholic feminist group comité de la Jupe).

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests stands in solidarity with Toutes Apôtres !, who on July 22^nd, the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene – Apostle to the Apostles, leader and teacher of the early church community, is challenging the Vatican to welcome women in equal roles in the Roman Catholic Church.

Rev. Christina Moreira, born in Paris and in ministry in Galicia, Spain, was ordained a priest on March 14, 2015 by Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. She serves in a liturgical community and is active in theological discussions there and in her native France. As Christina participates in this prophetic witness, we celebrate her action: “Like Mary Magdalene, I am taking this step in prophetic witness to a feminist model of radical inclusiveness and justice in the Roman Catholic Church that recognizes and celebrates women’s equal spiritual authority.”

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests de-constructs the patriarchal, and hierarchal model of priesthood. The members elect the bishops whose role is to ordain priests in Apostolic succession in a community of equals. The bishop is regarded as an equal in governance within the community of priests as are priests in their liturgical communities. ARCWP is reconstructing a feminist model of equal empowerment and spiritual authority in the Roman Catholic Church and in our world.

This is what today’s action is about. Women have a right to an equal role in the Church. Rev. Christina Moreira is proudly walking with women priests who are reclaiming their spiritual authority to lead our church. As a member of the Association, she is called by the Spirit to lead the Church toward a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals by living Gospel equality now.

The event organised by Toutes Apôtres ! follows Anne Soupa's own candidacy for the archbishopric of Lyon — the most senior in the French Catholic Church – on May 25th, 2020. Holder of a master’s degree in law and a master’s degree in theology, 73-year-old journalist, theologian, and biblist Anne Soupa has been a lay activist for women's equality in the Roman Catholic Church for over 10 years.