U.S. Nuns to Vatican: We support Fr. Roy Bourgeois--and women's ordination

Pontifications ^ | December 17, 2008 | David Gibson

[NYer]

Whether Maryknoll priest Fr. Roy Bourgeois has been excommunicated or not remains a mystery. As I wrote here, the Vatican told him to recant for supporting women's ordination--and attending one last July--and at last word he had gone to Rome to plead his cause.

Catholic World News and National Catholic Register think it's a done deal.

The blowback certainly hasn't died down, and today more than 100 nuns from 22 religious congregations released a letter to the Vatican protesting the threatened excommunication of Bourgeois. The letter was organized by the National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN).

The nuns' statement said they "join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the majority of U.S. Catholics, who believe that women are called to priestly ordination in the Catholic Church." They "look forward to the day when Catholic women, following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, who announced the Resurrection to the male Apostles, will minister as full equals in our church."

"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, in other comments released by 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," added 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."

Read the full text and list of signatories below...

[netmilsmom]

>>True! Women are far more active in the Church than men. <<

It depends on the parish. In ours we have over 200 Altar Boys, four priests, two deacons, a men’s club bursting at the seams and over 100 male only ushers.

If we make our parishes female centered, the men don’t show up. Get rid of the handholding and the female Altar servers (choir girls only) and you have all the men you need.

BTW, we had two priests ordained from our parish last year and seven seminarians currently.

[Campion]

Married priests (married before, not after, ordination) aren't a problem, theologically.

The idea of ordaining priestesses, OTOH, has been infallibly condemned. These nuns are essentially promoting heresy.

[trisham]

Rather than publicly excommunicating these nuns (which would make them media rock stars), the Vatican should quietly put the screws to these orders and not approve the few new nuns they get. Let these orders (at least in the U.S.) die.

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

Interesting, and not a bad strategy if the nuns were all much older, but I suspect they are not. Unfortunately, the mischief that can be done before that happens is too great. Imho, the Vatican should probably excommunicate them all.

[marshmallow]

From what I've read, if the Church doesn't ordain women, who are they going to ordain?

Read a little more.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

"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, in other comments released by NCAN. "We need to follow their example by promoting public discussion about the ordination of women," the Franciscan Sister said.

If it makes you feel better then discuss. But remember the Pope has spoken..it's settled.

[Danette]

I would not be a member of a Catholic Church that had a woman “priest.” Sorry, I’m old fashioned and traditional. Just won’t be comfortable.....and I’m a woman.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Rather than publicly excommunicating these nuns (which would make them media rock stars), the Vatican should quietly put the screws to these orders and not approve the few new nuns they get. Let these orders (at least in the U.S.) die.Excellent suggestion.

[utahagen]

Most of the pain-in-the neck nuns are over sixty years old, or at least over fifty years old. In fact, most gatherings of lefty Catholics are dominated by plain-clothes nuns. Not many women have become nuns since Vatican II really hit the Church in the late 60s, and most of the ones who have become nuns since then have joined traditional orders. If the Vatican alternates ignoring the lefty nuns with quietly putting the screws to their orders, there will be no more of these fake nuns within two generations (at the longest).

[lastchance]

Ho, Hum. Hey dearies the door is wide enough for all of you to exit through. Thank the Lord for those religious orders who serve Christ and not their own egos.

[lastchance]

It is my understanding that many of these orders are dying.

[PasorBob]

Yep. There have always been married priests in Orthodox Churches and in Eastern Rite Churches. (The ladder use Orthodox rites, but are under the Vatican.)

Orthodox Priest is a great Job. In 1988, I knew one from Tarpon Springs Florida. He made $60,000 a year tax free and had a home for life for himself and his wife and kids paid by the diocese. I would consider converting for the opportunity now.

[trisham]

Probably, but there's a very good chance that will mean another 20 years or more of constant provocation. That's a very long time.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

The Jebbies would either: [1] refuse to recognize the excommunication, or [2] excommunicate the Pope. Loyola must be doing 10,000 rpms.

So much for "The Pope's Men". You're probably right but I think The Church would back Benedict. The Church has to see that its moral authority is on the line.

[utahagen]

These lefty nuns are getting less attention and becoming more irrelevant each year. As it becomes clear that the Vatican is not going to cave on women’s ordination, the media have more fun focusing on lesbian and lesbianesque Protestant women ministers, particularly the ones who either want to marry or other women or who are willing to perform marriage ceremonies for gays. Secondly, Catholics under 40 are much more conservative about religion than their parents, and there aren’t many photogenic young Catholics who can be photographed standing arm-in-arm with ticked-off liberal nuns. Therefore, it would be better for the Vatican not to give when these fake nuns desperately want: attention. Even the left and the media don’t take these women seriously anymore.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> So we join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the majority of U.S. Catholics, who believe that women are called to priestly ordination in the Catholic Church.

True? Do the majority of US Catholics feel this way?

Anyway, that would be fine in the Holy Church were a democracy, but it isn’t.

[marshmallow]

As women religious who love our Church and who have served the People of God for decades, we support our brother Roy.

That's "Roy", OK? Not Chuck, or Zac or Brad or even "Benedict". It's "Roy", got it!!

You may have missed that conclave but remember that name!

As a Maryknoll priest for 36 years, he has followed the Gospel of Jesus in his ministry for peace and justice by speaking out against the war in Iraq and against the torture of countless human beings, aided and abetted by the U.S. government's School of the Americas. He has been a prophetic voice for thousands in our society.

Roy was ordained in the 1970s and is as clueless about theology as we are.

He thinks that protesting against the American military has made him an expert on the theology of ordination and apostolic succession.

Roy is now a prophetic voice in our church because of his support for women's equality in all Church ministries.

Me and the other gals just had a show of hands and "Roy" is now a prophet. It's official.

Excommunications depend not on edicts or laws, but on compliance.

We hereby ignore the excommunication and therefore it doesn't exist.

We do not believe Roy is outside the community and we embrace him wholeheartedly. Like Roy, we know women who testify that they are called to priesthood. We know that Jesus did not discriminate in calling both women and men to ministry. And we know that our church needs the gifts of everyone called.

"Roy" is now a saint. He will henceforth be known as "St. Roy of Ft. Benning".

So we join Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the majority of U.S. Catholics, who believe that women are called to priestly ordination in the Catholic Church.

We miss the '60s. We're getting past it and if you don't ordain us now, we're going to croak.

We look forward to the day when Catholic women, following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene who announced the Resurrection to the male Apostles, will minister as full equals in our church.

But don't think we're going to dry your stinking feet with our hair, like Mary Magdalen did, OK?

[Notwithstanding]

Yes - disallow the false vocations of such rigid feminazi-socialists for having an improper psychological disposition.

Sound familiar?

[mockingbyrd]

Vatican to US Nuns.....go pound sand.

[Notwithstanding]

Thanks for translating from the pig-latin in the original.

[trisham]

We shall see. Imho, it could go either way. Thank God for Pope Benedict.