Oregon's First Female Priest?

VIDEO LINK (if you can stomach it)

Oregon's first female Catholic priest was ordained in Gresham on Sunday. It's a history-making milestone, but one the Catholic Church does not recognize.

What a nonsensical and moronic paragraph! If the Catholic Church doesn't recognize an ordination then she's NOT a Catholic priest, is she? It's not a history making milestone...it's a sad and pathetic cry for attention.

Oregon's first female Catholic priest was ordained in Gresham on Sunday. It's a history-making milestone, but one the Catholic Church does not recognize.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Catholic Church doesn't recognize the ordination, then she's not a catholic priest.

The debate within the Church is whether the ban on women priests is human law or divine.

Serious-minded people know that this debate is not. The matter has been closed - only those who refuse to accept the decision are still talking about it.

Carol Olson and Canon Lawyer, Ed Peters on this ordination.

Answer: Uh, no.

The Question: "Oregon's First Female Priest?" That's the headline to this silly "news piece" from KOIN News:

GRESHAM, Ore. - Oregon's first female Catholic priest was ordained in Gresham on Sunday. It's a history-making milestone, but one the Catholic Church does not recognize.
The Vatican says only men can be priests. But since 2002, there has been a growing international movement to defy that law and give women the same status as men, and ordain them.
Toni Tortorilla said she was called to the priesthood when she was 5 years old, and she believes the law is unjust.
The bishop who ordained her at a United Church of Christ, Patricia Fresen of Germany, was herself ordained by a male bishop in good standing in South Africa. Fresen's Dominican order expelled her, but she became the driving force to ordain more women.
There are now 22 women priests and five deacons internationally. None of them has been ex-communicated, but neither will the Church recognize them.
By the end of the summer, the women priest program expects to ordain another nine North American women as priests, and 14 as deacons.
The debate within the Church is whether the ban on women priests is human law or divine.

Really, how hard is it to put together all of the subtle clues? Here they are, drawing only from the news account:

1. The Catholic Church doesn't recognize the female "priest".
2. The Vatican says only men can be priests.
3. There is a movement to defy this "law," which indicates, again, that it is contrary to Church teaching and practice.
4. The "ordination" took place at a United Church of Christ.
5. The "ordination" was led by Patricia Fresen of Germany, who was expelled from the Dominican order for herself being "ordained."

Class, what do call people who ignore clear, consistent clues given by the Catholic Church?

Posted by Carl Olson on Thursday, August 02, 2007 at 03:11 AM | Permalink

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If somebody pretended to be a reporter working for some news agency, I doubt if other reporters for that news agency would see it other than what it is - a fraud. Yet they don't make the necessary connection when it comes to women priests.

Posted by: Jeff Miller | Thursday, August 02, 2007 at 05:16 AM

This error of faith is spreading...
Case in point from this story out of San Diego... my back yard.

Unjust Law?
http://westcoastcatholic.blogspot.com/2007/07/unjust-law.html

WCC+<><

Posted by: WestCoastCatholic | Thursday, August 02, 2007 at 07:48 AM

Aren't such people excommunicated latae sententiae for participating in sham sacraments?

Ed Peters?

Posted by: David Deavel | Thursday, August 02, 2007 at 08:31 AM

actually, no dave. CIC 1378-1379. See also 6 July 2005 at http://www.canonlaw.info/blogarch05.htm. Don't worry, this kind of thing has happened before, and the law will be refocused to specifically address this kind of stunt in time. Seems odd in the meantime, I know.

Posted by: Ed Peters | Thursday, August 02, 2007 at 08:52 AM

Thanks Ed. It does seem odd indeed. I'm kind of surprised they haven't already refocused the law for this kind of public action. It seems somewhat different from the kind of situation of plausibly believed imposter priests.

The bishop who ordained her at a United Church of Christ, Patricia Fresen of Germany, was herself ordained by a male bishop in good standing in South Africa.

Interesting claim. Which bishop would this be?

The debate within the Church is whether the ban on women priests is human law or divine.

Any such debate takes place, by definition, outside the Church - not "within" it.

Oregon's first female Catholic priest was ordained in Gresham on Sunday.

ME:Females can't be Catholic priests

It's a history-making milestone, but one the Catholic Church does not recognize.

ME: Like I said females can't be Catholic priests.

For instance: Free me has been inaugurated king of America today. It's an historical day, even though America does not recognize it.

I pass on the video. These people are nutters.

Why aren’t they excommunicated? I thought impersonating a priest was an offense in Canon Law that was punishable with excommunication...

Ooo! I just declared m’self King of Ireland.

All your Guinness belongs to me. Turn it over real nice like and there’ll be no problem.

King O’ Ireland.

Wow, What an incredibly ignorant article!

Serious-minded people know that this debate is not. The matter has been closed - only those who refuse to accept the decision are still talking about it.

Exactly! There is NO debate within the Catholic Church.

In the Spirit of the Holy Father's recent Motu Proprio: Roma locuta est, causa finita est!

There are now 22 women priests and five deacons internationally.

Is Sinead O'Connor still one of them?

The bishop who ordained her at a United Church of Christ, Patricia Fresen of Germany, was herself ordained by a male bishop in good standing in South Africa.

Interesting claim. Which bishop would this be?
________________________________________________

She’s changing her story then. Quick google turned up:

“Fresen says she was ordained a bishop by a male bishop in Europe in good standing with the church, whose identity remains secret. He also ordained two of the other women bishops and could be considered automatically excommunicated for doing so.”

Which is it, Bishop in Europe or South Africa?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003396136_fresen11m.html

I own the United States and am Queen and Empress of the Western Hemisphere and demand tribute in the form of diamonds (5 carats and up, please) and Hersheys Chocolate with Almonds.

(Hey, if they can play priest, I can play Empress)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Catholic Church doesn't recognize the ordination, then she's not a catholic priest.

**************

Exactly right.

A misguided calling perhaps? Yo, Ms. “priest” .... there are major shortages of nuns. Give them a shot instead of trying to make waves.

All your Guinness belongs to me.

Take all the Guiness ya like, yer majesty ... but may I have the Smithwick's?

Never get your religious news from the lamestream media.
Exhibit A: from KOIN news in Oregon

Oregon’s First Female Priest?
GRESHAM, Ore.

“Oregon’s first female Catholic priest was ordained in Gresham on Sunday.”

Um, no. An instituiton gets to determine its criteria for membership. If the ordination did not meet the criteria for a Catholic ordination, she is not a Catholic priest. She has no stronger claim to the Catholic priesthood than I do to the claim that I am the Prince of Wales. As Prince of Wales, I hereby declare Ms. Tortorilla Madame Priestess Baby-boomer Hag of the Flannel Shirt and Sensible Shoes persuasion.

“It’s a history-making milestone, but one the Catholic Church does not recognize.”

Um, no, I would not call this history-making or a milestone. These chicks have been at it since the ‘80s. That it has happened in Oregon is not really earth-shattering. Since Oregon has become Seattle South, it should not be a surprise that some of the coffee-swilling leftist cuckoo birds have migrated there. But, they are correct about the Catholic Church not recognizing the ordination. I’m still waiting on my congratulatory note from the Holy See on being the Prince of Wales, by the way.

“The Vatican says only men can be priests.”

YES! Only men are called to be priests. If Ms. Tortorilla has time between Indigo Girl concerts, she might be interested in reading the Apostolic Letter “Sacerdotalis Ordinatio.” It’s a lovely, well-written document, but I must say that I am partial to the following line at the end: “I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.” I guess if you do not agree with this, then you are considered the Church’s unfaithful. And if you are part of the Church’s unfaithful... well, good luck with that....

“But since 2002, there has been a growing international movement to defy that law and give women the same status as men, and ordain them.”

International movement? Um, the Womenpriests organization has “ordained” 22 women in the past two decades. In a church that exceeds 1 billion adherents, that is not what I’d call an “on fire” grassroots campaign. Perhaps they’ve been taking advice from John McCain’s campaign staff? I should also mention that the majority of these Melissa Etheridge fans come from the US, Canada and Europe: a homogenous group of aging, white, Western women just doesn’t seem to have that much of an “international” flair.

By the way, the Church teaches that I am alike in human dignity to my brother Catholics, and I do have the same status: sinner.

“Toni Tortorilla said she was called to the priesthood when she was 5 years old, and she believes the law is unjust.”

She may have been called, but she might want to think about who was calling her. Does someone smell brimstone? And I’m sorry that no one ever told Ms. Tortorilla that the world does not revolve around what SHE believes. It revolves around me, the Prince of Wales.

“The bishop who ordained her at a United Church of Christ, Patricia Fresen of Germany, was herself ordained by a male bishop in good standing in South Africa. Fresen’s Dominican order expelled her, but she became the driving force to ordain more women. There are now 22 women priests and five deacons internationally. None of them has been ex-communicated, but neither will the Church recognize them.”

It might come as a surprise to some, but Catholic ordinations occur exclusively in Catholic churches. Perhaps she is a United Church of Christ priestess? As all Catholic bishops are male, I’m sorry to inform Ms. Tortorilla that the woman who ordained her was NOT a Catholic Bishop. Perhaps she would like the woman to be brought up on charges of fraud? I also like the way everyone in the story is named other than the Catholic bishop in good-standing from South Africa that allegedly ordained Ms. Fresen. Any particular reason this bishop who is such a paragon of virtue within Holy Mother Church does not have a name? Could it be that a) you’re lying or b) you’re lying. Let’s just say in 2 min on the internet I was able to find Ms. Fresen’s testimony and I’m not even a paid professional. Go here: (http://www.virtuelle-dioezese.de/Lebenslauf_Patricia_Fresen.html): ‘Christine, Gisela and Adelinde Roitinger, who had also been ordained on the ship on the Danube, were all coming to the Synod. Christine and Gisela informed me that they themselves could ordain me and offered to do so in Barcelona. It was too late to enter into the group discernment process which I had been planning. I had to make a decision, not about whether to be ordained but about whether I should accept the offer of being ordained in Barcelona... I was ordained as a priest during a private ceremony in Barcelona on 7, August 2003.”

Hmm, I didn’t realize Barcelona had moved to South Africa. Interesting...

The Danube Seven (Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, Adelinde Theresia Roitinger, Gisela Forster, Iris Muller, Ida Raming, Pia Brunner and Angela White) are a group of seven women from Germany, Austria and the United States who were ordained on a boat on the Danube on 29 June of 2002 by Rómulo Antonio Braschi. Bishop Braschi left the Catholic Church in 1975 and founded the Catholic Apostolic Charismatic Church of “Jesus the King”.

Wait a minute, I’m confused. I’m still looking for the sympathetic Roman Catholic Bishop in good-standing with the Church that validly ordained these wymyn.... still looking....looking... hello?.... (crickets chirping)

Oh, and by the way, due to their violation of Canon law and their refusal to repent, the women were excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. So WRONG again. How much do copywriters at these news stations make? Oh, I know, TOO much!

“By the end of the summer, the women priest program expects to ordain another nine North American women as priests, and 14 as deacons.”

Good for them. I plan to annex parts of Germany and Austria and become the King of Prussia!

“The debate within the Church is whether the ban on women priests is human law or divine.”

Hmmm, 31 bra-burning has-beens and lesbians making spectacles of themselves is not a debate. It should also come as no surprise that these women also contradict the Church on birth control, the celibate priesthood, and the acceptance of homosexual unions. Now that I think about it, that brimstone smells an awful lot like the Spirit of Vatican II.

I have bit of advice for Ms. Tortorilla and other wymyn of her ilk, the next time she gets that “call”, I suggest she hang up. You never know who REALLY is on the other end of that line.

is she called Fr., Mother, or Sr. Toni Tortorilla