In All Things
100 Catholic sisters protest Vatican action
Over one hundred Catholic sisters, sponsored by the National Coalition of American Nuns, have written to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in support of Roy Bourgeois, the Maryknoll priest (or former Maryknoll priest depending on his status) who participated in a women’s ordination rite this summer.
From the NCAN site:
--The nuns’ Dec. 12 letter says the Vatican’s action "has diminished our Church." They believe that "excommunications depend not on edicts or laws, but on compliance" by the faithful. If the faithful do not exclude or shun someone from the community, they are not excommunicated. The letter asserts that Bourgeois is not outside the community because they "embrace him wholeheartedly." The letter was organized by the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN).
"In the first century, Christians resolved their disagreements about following traditions such as circumcision and kosher dietary laws by dialogue and discussion," said Sister Beth Rindler, speaking for NCAN. "We need to follow their example by promoting public discussion about the ordination of women," the Franciscan Sister said.
"We hope the excommunication is not issued," said Dominican Sister Donna Quinn, one of the coordinators of NCAN. "The medieval punishment of excommunication serves only to embarrass our Church in the eyes of the world and fuels further anger and resentment among the U.S. faithful."
"Many of the signers have served the Church for more than 40 or 50 years. Many are prominent leaders in their fields," said Loretto Sister Jeannine Gramick, another NCAN coordinator. She pointed to Mercy Sister Theresa Kane, who made worldwide headlines when she asked Pope John Paul II to open all ministries to women on the occasion of his first visit to the U.S in 1979, and Dominican Sister Carol Coston, who founded Network, a Catholic social justice lobby. She also noted the signatures of Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister, a prolific writer in the field of spirituality, Notre Dame Sister Ivone Gebara, a noted Brazilian feminist theologian, and Loretto Sister Maureen Fiedler, host of the public radio show Interfaith Voices.’ --NCAN
James Martin, SJ
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Historically, women could preside over the Agape meal, the early Mass. Additionally, you can either have exclusively male ordination and consecration or a line of ordination going back to the Apostles. You cannot have both, as one of Paul's superiors - and presumably the Apostle who ordained him, was a woman. Since he was eventually what amounted to be the Archbishop of what is now the Roman Church you can have it either one way or the other - not both.
Go with history and ordain and consecrate sisters.
Nobody but Jesus Christ and His appointed Apostle have the right to tell His Church what to do!
God Bless,
Peace
They are right.
There is no good reason to excommunicate Fr Roy.
Michael,
I'd love to see the evidence for your claim about women presiding over the agape meal and a women being St Paul's superior.
God Bless
'[...] In the contemporary Catholic Church in the United States and elsewhere there are hundreds of women who identify with Therese's desire [to be a priest]. They feel that God has called them to ordained ministry in the church, and they find themselves unable to follow through on the Lord's call because of the stance of authority in the church .....
For a number of years I have been a co-worker in ministry with and sometimes spiritual director to a number of women who feel so called [to be priests] ..... Those whose prayer experience I know best have developed a relationship of intimacy with God and his Son Jesus that has moved from the discernment of the beginner to that of a companion of the Lord. They have asked to be with Jesus on mission, even on dangerous mission, and have been consoled by his acceptance of their desire ..... They ask the Lord whether they are deluding themselves about the desire for priesthood since the door seems to be even more firmly closed now than ten years ago. Nothing in their prayer experience points towards such a discernment of delusion. In fact the opposite seems to be the case ...... All my instincts, training and experience lead me to the conclusion that these women are experiencing an authentic call of God ..... '
He told us live eternally by following the law written in our hearts and not the letter of the law, which kills. THANK YOU JESUS AND NUNS!
For his part, the middle man claims historical rights, and assures anyone who will listen that they posses these rights enough to give themselve grandiose names like, 'magisterium'. Sounds a bit Oz-like, doesn't it? Comes complete with incense. Flashy and fashionable garb. Bells and whistles. Smoke and mirrors. You know...stuff. So who's correct? Whose opinion counts more? Which side will be the sheep and which side the goats? And when it comes time to convince the cannibals not to eat their neighbors, what message is it that will proclaim the truth more, well, truthfully?
It's a shame, ne? Both sides playing God as monkey in the middle. In the end, it always comes down to God knows all but we know best...
Of course, for Church leaders and some faithful who only believe in 'pray, pay, and obey,' this is unacceptable and it is easier to attempt to silence their "foes" than to enter into dialogue to find common ground.
In Christ,
Michael
Also, see the November 10 issue of America Magazine, the article on Paul and Women. It is clear from scripture that women presided over house churches and that Paul's leader and benefactor in the Church of Rome was Pheobe. If this is so, might Pheobe be the real first Bishop of Rome?