Posted on 05/29/2008 1:05:41 PM PDT by NYer
.- The Vatican declared today that any women who attempt “ordination” or any bishops who attempt to “ordain” women are automatically excommunicated from the Church by their actions. The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is said to be absolute, universal and immediately effective.
The decree which was published in the Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, comes in the wake of several women attempting to be “ordained” as Catholic priests.
The most recent attempt to ordain a woman occurred on May 4 in Winona, Minnesota when Kathy Redig, participated in a ceremony of ordination.
Bishop of Winona Bernard Harrington responded to the news of Redig’s purported ordination by saying it made him “very, very sad.” The bishop also said that “She, by her actions, has excommunicated herself.”
Another occurrence of attempted ordination occurred in St. Louis, Missouri on November 11, 2007. The ceremony involved a German woman named Patricia Fresen conducting a would-be ordination ceremony at a St. Louis synagogue. Fresen used the formula and rite of a Catholic ordination to “ordain” as priests two St. Louis-area women, Rose Hudson and Elsie McGrath.
The attempted ordination caused Archbishop Raymond Burke of the Archdiocese of St. Louis to declare the three women excommunicated for taking part in an attempted ordination of women to the priesthood. The archbishop said the excommunication was part of his “solemn duty” to protect the faith and unity of the Church.
Archbishop Burke, who is regarded as one of the foremost experts on canon law, explained that this type of situation has been addressed before. In August 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also excommunicated two women who had taken part in an invalid ordination ceremony, he said.
Patricia Fresen, the archbishop said, had “formally and directly engaged” in founding a “new and separate sect” called Roman Catholic WomenPriests USA.
The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also mentions that it applies to all people in communion with the Catholic Church, including any bishops or women who are members of the Eastern Churches. Anyone who incurs this excommunication can only be received back into the Church by the Apostolic See, the decree says.
The declaration, which is signed by Cardinal William Levada, concludes by saying that it is absolute, universal and immediately effective upon its publication in L’Osservatore Romano.
Translated text of the Decree:
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
General Decree
Regarding the crime of attempting sacred ordination of a woman
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to protect the nature and validity of the sacrament of holy orders, in virtue of the special faculty conferred to it by the supreme authority of the Church (see canon 30, Canon Law), in the Ordinary Session of December 19, 2007, has decreed:
Remaining firm on what has been established by canon 1378 of the Canon Law, both he who has attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, and the woman who has attempted to receive the said sacrament, incurs in latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See.
If he who has attempted to confer holy orders on a woman or if the woman who has attempted to receive holy orders, is a member of the faithful subject to the Code of Canon Law for the Eastern Churches, remaining firm on what has been established by canon 1443 of the same Code, they will be punished with major excommunication, whose remission remains reserved to the Apostolic See (see canon 1423, Canon Law of the Eastern Churches).
The current decree will come into immediate force from the moment of publication in the 'Osservatore Romano' and is absolute and universal.
William Cardinal Levada
Prefect
Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
Titular Archbishop of Sila
Secretary
This should replace the first thread.
But the murder or children is still not a reason to excomunicate? Sorry, I don’t approve. To me murder is a little more evil than a woman priest, although I do not approve of that either.
If these creeps were really interested in the priesthood instead of making a statement, they’d join the Episcopal church and become an Episcopal priest instead of attempting to destroy and otherwise cause dissension in the Catholic Church. If these creepy women were guys, they wouldn’t even be accepted at a Catholic seminary.......
Can. 1398 A person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication.
Cowards way out. Politicians who publicly approve of and legislate for abortion are just as guilty as the criminals who took part in the physical act of murdering children.
But that’s the whole point. It’s not enough to worship however they want, they have to force the rest of us to ‘accept’ it, and them, and worship the same way.
Abortion is a deadly attack on one person. Attempting to queer the priesthood is an attack on the entire Church — Christ’s mystical body of which, with the Incarnate Word as its head, we are all members.
Not a valid argument. To paraphrase Christ, “It is better to have a millstone tied around your neck...” There is, and never will be justification in any way shape or form for the murder of innocent children.
Whose justifying?
http://www.kansas.com/news/story/399599.html
Archbishop rebukes Sebelius
The governor should not receive Communion because of her stance on abortion, the archbishop writes.
It’s starting. The problem with dealing with those in secular positinos of Power is that they have Power.
Also: what does giving scandal (what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel passage) have to do with aborting babies?
Please try to understand that no one here is endorsing abortion, OK? Sheesh.
From your previous comment it seems like you can’t compare the two. Perhaps justification was the wrong word. No church I have ever belonged to ever would have allowed a publically professing murderer into their services, if they were repentant about their stand and denounced previous opinions is a different matter. All I am really saying is if you allow one evil thing in, what’s another.
” No church I have ever belonged to ever would have allowed a publically professing murderer into their services...”
What church is that? It seems to be a very deep dark secret among the non-catholics as to which denominations or churches they belong.
Do the women in your church publicly proclaim their abortions or IUD’s to the congregations? That’s something if so. IUD’s are murder, too.
That's so mainstream! And it wouldn't draw media attention. Now declaring themselves "Roman Catholic" priestesses ... that grabs attention :-)
If these creepy women were guys, they wouldn’t even be accepted at a Catholic seminary.......
They weren't.
I go to the Church of God, Anderson Indiana. A lady who spoke at our Church a few weeks ago runs a clinic in town that gives ultrasounds to pregnant women. She herself had an abortion. She has repented. If a person claims to be regular church attendee,and is truly born again, they wouldn’t approve oprove of my point, or of women pastors. Neither are Biblical.
Well I think that pols who advocate and facilitate abortions should be publicly called out and excommunicated if they do not publicly denounce their past veiws and actions in this regard. The latae sententia excommunication is worthless for teaching the flock because the vast majority of Catholics never even heard the word much less the concept.
I know, it stinks when the Church isn’t consistant in it’s discipline. I hope better shepards are in the pipe.
Freegards
I hate to tell you but NOBODY, no church, no group of people do more to fight abortion than the Catholic Church. Just show up for the March for Life in January in DC and you will find at least 75% of those marching are Catholics. Non-Catholics lend lip service but don’t get down and fight in the trenches like Catholics do.
” If a person claims to be regular church attendee,and is truly born again, they wouldn’t approve oprove of my point, or of women pastors. Neither are Biblical.”
But, there are women in your church using birth control and IUD’s. I don’t know your churches stand, but for us, birth control is wrong, especially IUDs that do not allow a conceived child to be implanted in the womb.
There are women in mine who also use birth control, but many are using NFP measures which are allowed. ( I know this from the size of some of the families! ( -;)
Women pastors are fish out of water. Women have a very important place in parish life and in the care of the family and community, but no place behind the ambo to preach and proclaim the Gospel, or behind the altar. St. Paul could not have been more plain spoken as to the role of women.
Our Shepherds are starting to be less wary, I think, of the Powers that Be and, of course, they have seen that no matter what they say, the media will never be fair, so
hopefully they will take a sterner voice to those who give scandal to the church. We have to pray they do.
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