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...

[trisham]

Well done. :)

[Romulus]

The astonishing spiritual rebirth of the Jesuits will be one of the chief elements of Church history in the 21st century.

[Romulus]

From what I've read,

Whenever the secular media write about religion, you can automatically deduct 25 IQ points. Whenever it's about the Catholic Church, deduct 50.

[A.A. Cunningham]

I will bet a dollar to a doughnut that women will be ordained in the Catholic Church in the next 20 years.

You'll lose that bet.

So the RCC would rather have married priests than female ones?

21 of the 22 Churches sui juris which comprise the Catholic Church ordain, as a norm, married men.

[Unam Sanctam]

We need more orthodox sisters!

[PzLdr]

They were going rogue when I was at Fordham [1964-1968].

[PasorBob]

21 of the 22 Churches sui juris which comprise the Catholic Church ordain, as a norm, married men.

[PanzerKardinal]

Let’s see.

Of the Sisters who signed this letter, 2 questions.

1. How many of them wear habit?

2. How many of them are under 50?

By the way my wife’s aunt is one of the signatories.

It’s going to be a fun holiday season.

[B-Chan]

Dear Sr. Jean Ackerman, OP, et al:

Please complete the following sentence:

“Our Lord Jesus appointed twelve apostles. Of the twelve, ____ were female.”

(Hint: it looks like a bagel.)

Sincerely,

William Cardinal Levada
Rome

[Romulus]

Yep. But a new day is dawning. I am very encouraged by several of the younger Jesuits I have met. Two years ago I wouldn’t have said this (and the older fellows are almost all hopeless), but having recently met, talked with, and served (the traditional Latin Mass) for four who’re my age or younger, I’m convinced the Society has turned the corner and is headed for greatness once again.

[NYer]

I will bet a dollar to a doughnut that women will be ordained in the Catholic Church in the next 20 years.

When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."(1)
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS

As for Grut's comment re 'who are they going to ordain' - the seminaries are filling up rapidly. In one diocese, they have a waiting list.

It is really very simple. Christ instituted the priesthood at the Last Supper. He did not invite any women. The Catholic Church holds to that Apostolic Tradition. And so does the Orthodox Church.

[NYer]

21 of the 22 Churches sui juris which comprise the Catholic Church ordain, as a norm, married men.

Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this nicely:

"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814).

Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.

To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15).

A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Liturgy and fulfill his of her obligations at any Eastern Catholic Parish. A Roman rite Catholic may join any Eastern Catholic Parish and receive any sacrament from an Eastern Catholic priest, since all belong to the Catholic Church as a whole. I am a Roman Catholic practicing my faith at a Maronite Catholic Church. Like the Chaldeans, the Maronites retain Aramaic for the Consecration. It is as close as one comes to being at the Last Supper.

[PasorBob]

thanks for the informative post

[NYer]

By the way my wife’s aunt is one of the signatories.

Let me guess - she's over 50 and does not wear a habit. Lol ... wish I could be the fly on the wall at Christmas dinner. Giver her a copy of JPII's document referenced above.

[Petrosius]

I will take that bet. When I win I want the doughnut, Boston Creme.

[AnAmericanMother]

Just the usual suspects. Liberal agitators who abandoned the Church years ago in all but name.

The fact that the odious 'sister' Chittister is on the list ought to give ALL the rest of the signatories pause.

I would not sign a shopping list with her, and neither should they.

[AnAmericanMother]

Two observations from a Catholic convert (former Episcopalian), one theoretical and one practical:

1. If Christ did not see fit to ordain His Blessed Mother, who of all women would seem the most worthy, then it is clear that He made a conscious choice not to do so.

2. My former Episcopal parish was the 'training parish' for the diocese, so that all new ordinands went through a shakedown cruise in the parish. I was a parishioner for almost 30 years, from 1977 until General Convention 2003. In that time, all but one of the women were hopeless -- they gained ordination for all the wrong reasons: to prove a point as to "equality", to promote their radical feminist or lesbian agenda, or to exorcise their own personal demons (several were frankly unstable). I saw only ONE female ordinand who was capable of serving with any facility as a parish priest, because she seemed to have actually felt a call to serve God in His church. But as sensible as she was she felt constrained to support the ordination of homosexuals (which I hear through the grapevine was a quid pro quo and a plan from the beginning.)

So women are not only by and large incapable of doing the job, they also would be the thin end of the wedge by which all sorts of liberal social activism (homosexuals, political action, etc.) would be used to bring down the Catholic Church.

The Church has the Awful Warning of the Episcopalians right in front of her eyes. I don't think the Holy Father wants any of what these foolish virgins are selling.

[Kolokotronis]

Guys, like I said, nuns in pantsuits. Why anyone in his or her right mind would want a reunion with the Roman Church right now is beyond me.

[big'ol_freeper]

Long list of protestants there.

[the invisib1e hand]

I will bet a dollar to a doughnut that women will be ordained in the Catholic Church in the next 20 years.

Not in the Catholic Church, champ. Maybe some presumptuous pretender to the title, but not in the Catholic Church. It's a contradiction.