Austrians support priests' call for reform

Austrians support priests' call for reform: Survey

Agence France-Presse August 29, 2011

 A drive for reform by Austrian priests, urging the ordination of women and an end to celibacy, is meeting with widespread support, according to a new survey published Monday.

VIENNA - A drive for reform by Austrian priests, urging the ordination of women and an end to celibacy, is meeting with widespread support, according to a new survey published Monday.

A total 71.7 per cent of Austrians found the initiative "fair and adequate," with 64.7 per cent saying they would even sign a "call for insurbodination" launched in June, according to the Oekonsult polling institute.

The so-called "Priests' Initiative," signed by at least 200 clergymen, wants women and married individuals to be allowed to be ordained as priests, an end to the celibacy rule and the right for laymen to preach.

Members of other Christian faiths and anyone who has divorced and remarried should also have the right to communion, it says.

Among those surveyed, 30.7 per cent agreed that women and married people should be allowed to become priests, while 24.1 per cent favoured the abolition of the Roman Catholic Church's celibacy rule.

Some 86.8 per cent of respondents said celibacy created more problems than it had advantages for the Church, the Oekonsult survey showed, and 84 per cent believe that a refusal by the Catholic Church to reform could further alienate believers.

A majority Catholic country where every classroom and hospital ward still boasts a crucifix, Austria has nevertheless seen a significant flight from the Church following a sex abuse scandal last year.

Pressure from the initiative could help the Austrian Roman Catholic Church argue to the Vatican that reforms were unavoidable, according to 73.8 per cent of those polled.

The survey was conducted from July 20 to August 28 among 1,265 Austrians.

© Copyright (c) AFP

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Austrians+support+priests+call+reform+Survey/5322302/story.html#ixzz1WTuB4mkn

VOTF supports a fund to support women who lose employment in the Roman Catholic Church as the result of injustice or discrimination, and to help women who are working to bring about justice and equality in the Church.

Comment: A great fund....when the Archdiocese of Atlanta let me go because they restructured while I was away at school-I had $1600 in the bank. The administrators were going to give me one week pay. I was terrified and had no one to turn to. Luckily I had the sense to turn to civil law that said they had to give me one month of severance for each year I worked there-that was 14 weeks....their maximum according to the personnel manual.  I remember feeling so ashamed.....thinking what did I do to deserve this treatment.....all I wanted to do was use my gifts to serve the people of God. 

Give Generously-many are in this predicament....and you never hear about them.

News From National

Emily & Rosemary Fund for Women: Application Deadline Oct. 1The Emily & Rosemary Fund for Women in the Church will be making another round of awards this winter. The deadline for completed applications is October 1.

Lynette Petruska established the fund to support women who lose employment in the Roman Catholic Church as the result of injustice or discrimination, and to help women who are working to bring about justice and equality in the Church.

You can learn more about the Fund and find grant applications here http://votf.org/page/emily-rosemary-fund-women-church/14217. Please note the purpose of the Fund and be sure your application falls within those criteria.

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During the fourth session of Vatican II on December 6, 1965, Pope Paul issued a motu proprio (a papal statement is prepared and signed by the pope himself) inaugurating the reform of the Curia. The name Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office was changed to Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The new office was supposed to be less concerned with hunting for heretics and more concerned with promoting theological investigations.

Roy Bourgeous' Outstanding Responder-Blanche Crandall

 Blanche Crandall

1200 I Street #303
Anchorage, AK. 99501

August 19, 2011

Rev. Edward Dougherty,MM
Office of the General Council
PO Box 303
Maryknoll, NY 10545-0303

Dear Fr. Dougherty and General Council:

Having received a copy of your letter to Fr. Roy Bourgeois, I must be straightforward in responding and write according to my conscience.

I found the letter dated 27 July,2011 that you wrote to Fr. Bourgeois to be non-pastoral and void of compassion. It included an account of past events of the last few years concerning him, you, and the Vatican. The rules and regulations referred to were written by dogmatic and legalistic clerics not consistent with the compassionate and merciful words of Jesus found in the gospels. Your words betray your allegiance to an unjust system that is self-perpetuating and self-serving (Ps 118:8-9)

As a thinking Catholic woman, I find the words of Pope John Paul II regarding women's ordination offensive. They betray the mind and (heartless) heart of a misogynist. You are aware of the Pontifical Biblical Commission of 1976, of the 200 some Biblical scholars and theologians who concluded that nothing in the Bible forbids women's ordinations. John Paul II chose to vehemently oppose the hard work of that commission and squelched its study. Clearly, he was not at all thinking of the unfolding of truth and thus being liberated by its light. Instead, he was more interested in protecting an institution bent on self-preservation than on justice.

Thomas Aquinas stated that no one has the right to obey an unjust law or to follow false teaching. Our first obligation is to our conscience. In this light, I support Fr. Bourgeois' choice to follow his conscience.

John Henry Newman wrote: "[in a] collision with the word of a pope.... [conscience] is to be followed in spite of that word." He referred to the conscience as the "Vicar of Christ" for each of us. It is noted that he toasted conscience first and the pope second.

Finally the words of then Joseph Ratzinger in 1967: "Over the pope... there stands... conscience which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the ecclesiastical authority."

I haven't heard that the Pope recanted those words. So there is a contradiction with that statement and what the Pope is presently telling you to do to Fr. Bourgeois because he is following his conscience. I might suggest, before you continue with your Canonical Warning, that you check with the Pope for clarification. The answer should be told to all Catholics.

Last Sunday's (8-7-11) Gospel from Matthew tells of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. When Peter saw how strong the wind was, he became frightened and began to sink. Are the Pope and the Magisterium the wind for you and your General Council?  Why are you afraid to speak the whole truth?

You mentioned in your letter to Fr. Bourgeois that some Maryknollers "invited" him to consider the effects of his actions on the Society. That reminds me of the hierarchy who is more concerned about its reputation and the clerical sexual abusers than it is about the victims. You failed to mention how many – i.e.., 5 or 500 – actually asked him to do this. Was a vote taken among all the MM priests and brothers? From my sources, I have heard that many of the Maryknollers around the world are actually in solidarity with at least a thousand lay men and women who are supportive of Fr. Bourgeois.

Fr. Roy Bourgeois, in his gentleness and humility, has been following Jesus to seek justice for the poor, the vulnerable, the downtrodden, the marginalized, those treated as un-equals in our church. We know in our hearts that Jesus would never excommunicate Fr. Bourgeois. Jesus never spoke of such a thing!  He has given each of us choice, without forcing his will on us as the Vatican has done and continues to do to show its power.

Please remember not to mix the Church with the hierarchy. The Vatican II Council stated that we are the Church, no longer papacy and hierarchy, but the People of God.  Church officials ought to be speaking the words of the Scripture, and not those of the Magisterium. History shows that Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XV1 have been trying to overturn the collegial and democratic characteristics of the Church of Vatican II. We must remember we are united in the Church by our baptism and not by ordination.

Fr. Dougherty, you are in a pivotal position, which gives you and the other Maryknollers, men and women, an opportunity to set an example in favor of justice and truth by supporting your fellow Maryknoller, Fr. Roy Bourgeois. In so doing, you would also be giving support to the many women who suffer injustice from the Church by denying them their right to ordination. It seems you have two choices to consider.

First, you can unite Catholics, around the world by following Jesus first, and not the hierarchy. These church officials have pushed their authority to force you to do what they could not do! No doubt you are familiar with the case with Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, and how her community followed its conscience and told the Vatican it couldn't follow its (the Vatican) orders. The Vatican has never gone after the sisters as it is doing with you. I hope you do some in-depth time with Jesus to help you.

Secondly, you can give into Rome, forget Vatican II changes, and upset the global Catholic community, many of whom are folks I personally know who will stop giving money to Maryknoll. I have met many wonderful MM priests, sisters and brothers through the years that I have attended the SOA Watch at Ft. Benning. I saw how Christ-like they are in their ways. By following this second way, you place many Maryknollers in a terrible bind! You are continuing the exclusivity in our church that the Vatican supports, i.e., women are not equals, instead of the inclusivity practiced and taught by Jesus.

As a staunch follower of Vatican II, I follow Jesus before any man on earth. I give Fr. Roy Bourgeois, my brother in Christ, my complete support in his stand for women's ordination, in particular, and for his constant seeking for justice for the cast-asides, the ignored, the forgotten, and the vulnerable, in general.

Thank you for your attention.

I would hope you will address some of the issues publicly that I have mentioned in this letter.

Sincerely in the justice and peace of Jesus,
Blanche Crandall

Comment: Perhaps the best letter written about the tension Roy Bourgeois is causing,  Blanche is most articulate in outlining the major facts.  There is NO theological or foundational reason women cannot be ordained.  In his own writings Pope Benedict promotes following your conscience and it is the hierarchy, not the church that is promoting division and discord.  Thank you, Blanche.

Diane Dougherty
http://dianedoughertysblog.blogspot.com/

AN OPEN CLERGY REBELLION IN AUSTRIA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH

AN OPEN CLERGY REBELLION IN AUSTRIA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH

http://www.worldcrunch.com/open-clergy-rebellion-austria-s-catholic-church/3652

Hundreds of Austrian priests are challenging the standing leadership of Pope Benedict XVI and the local bishops, demanding modern-day answers to issues like communion for divorced people, women in the church hierarchy, and the taboo of priests who have a partner and children.

The 300-plus supporters of the “Priests’ Initiative” have had enough of what they call the Church’s “delaying” tactics, and they are advocating pushing ahead with policies that openly defy current practices. These include letting non-ordained people lead religious services and deliver sermons; making communion available to divorced people who have remarried; allowing women to become priests and to take on important positions in the hierarchy; and letting priests carry out pastoral functions even if, in defiance of Church rules, they have a wife and family.

Kenya:  40 Catholic Priests Quit Over Church Celibacy Rule

http://allafrica.com/stories/201108251341.html

25 August 2011

MORE than 40 priests have in the last two years defected from the Catholic Church in Kenya seeking freedom from celibacy. The priests have joined the Ecumenical Catholic Church headed by Bishop Geoffrey Shiundu who also quit the Catholic church after he married against rules of priesthood.

I Protest- I PROTEST Diane Dougherty

Comment:After you read this entire piece, you will come to understand why I am pursuing ordination. Here you read of a 21st century priest that says" At the Cathedral, boys can train to serve at the altar, and girls can train to serve as sacristans."  If this kind of action leads to more priests at the altar and fewer women on the altar, it only cements in the minds of the baptized that God participates fully in the practice of sexism......This false teaching weakens the power of the gospel Catholicism tries to embody. 
Diane Dougherty, ARCWP   http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/




USCatholic.org/blog

No altar girls = More priests?

Monday, August 22, 2011

By Bryan Cones

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It's a strange-looking equation, I know, but another priest has used it to justify his decision to ban girls from serving at Mass. Father John Lankeit, rector of the Phoenix diocesan cathedral, SS. Simon and Jude, argued, "The connection between serving at the altar and priesthood is historic. It is part of the differentiation between boys and girls, as Christ established the priesthood by choosing men. Serving at the altar is a specifically priestly act," according to the Arizona Republic. Girls will be allowed to be sacristans, preparing things for Mass like the altar societies of old.

Lankeit points out that not permitting girls to serve is part of the pastor's prerogative, but I wonder what would happen if he started restricting the ministry of lector to men, since that office, like the instituted ministry of acolyte, was also formerly part of preparation for priesthood. For that matter, "porter" was once the first step to holy orders, so by that logic hospitality ministers should all be men, too.

The main problem here, though, is baptismal: Does that baptism of girls and women not configure them for service among the people of God. So far Rome has said that it doesn't for the ministries of priest and bishop--deacon still being an open question. But altar server? And just for practical purposes, how much longer will the parents of girls keep taking them to a church that now won't even let them serve at the altar, much less eventually become priests?

UPDATE: A press release from the Diocese of Phoenix on the change in policy: "Experiencing personally the consequences of the priesthood shortage and noting the absence of strong fatherly presence in society in general, and religious practice in particular, Fr. John Lankeit, rector of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, recently restructured the program for boys and girls who serve at Mass. At the Cathedral, boys can train to serve at the altar, and girls can train to serve as sacristans."

Encouragement for those disappointed with the Church Leonardo Boff

Encouragement for those disappointed with the Church

Leonardo Boff

Theologian

Earthcharter Commission

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There is great disappointment with the institutional Catholic Church. A double emigration is happening: one is exterior, persons who simply leave the Church, and the other is interior, those who remain in the Church but who no longer feel that she is their spiritual home. They continue believing, in spite of the Church.
It's not for nothing. The present pope has taken some radical initiatives that have divided the ecclesiastic body. He chose a path of confrontation with two important episcopacies, the German and the French, when he introduced the Latin Mass. He articulated an obscure reconciliation with the Church of the followers of Lebfrevre; gutted the principal renewal institutions of Vatican Council II, especially ecumenism, absurdly denying the title of «Church» to those Churches that are not Catholic or Orthodox. When he was a Cardinal he was gravely permissive with pedophiles, and his concern with AIDS borders the inhumane.
The present Catholic Church is submerged in a rigorous winter. The social base that supports the antiquated model of the present pope is comprised of conservative groups, more interested in the media, in the logic of the market, than in proposing an adequate response to the present grave problems. They offer a «lexotan-Christianity» good for pacifying anxious consciences, but alienated from the suffering humanity.
It is urgent that we animate these Christians about to emigrate with what is essential in Christianity. It certainly is not the Church, that was never the object of the preaching of Jesus. He announced a dream, the Kingdom of God, in contraposition to the Kingdom of Caesar; the Kingdom of God that represents an absolute revolution in relationships, from the individual to the divine and the cosmic.
Christianity appeared in history primarily as a movement and as the way of Christ. It predates its grounding in the four Gospels and in the doctrines. The character of a spiritual path means a type of Christianity that has its own course. It generally lives on the edge and, at times, at a critical distance from the official institution. But it is born and nourished by the permanent fascination with the figure, and the liberating and spiritual message of Jesus of Nazareth. Initially deemed the «heresy of the Nazarenes» (Acts 24,5) or simply, a «heresy» (Acts 28,22) in the sense of a «very small group», Christianity was acquiring autonomy until its followers, according to The Acts of The Apostles (11,36), were called, «Christians».
The movement of Jesus is certainly the most vigorous force of Christianity, stronger than the Churches, because it is neither bounded by institutions, nor is it a prisoner of doctrines and dogmas. It is composed of all types of people, from the most varied cultures and traditions, even agnostics and atheists who let themselves be touched by the courageous figure of Jesus, by the dream he announced, a Kingdom of love and liberty, by his ethic of unconditional love, especially for the poor and the oppressed, and by the way he assumed the human drama, amidst humiliation, torture and his execution on the cross. Jesus offered an image of God so intimate and life-friendly that it is difficult to disregard, even by those who do not believe in God. Many people say, «if there is a God, it has to be like the God of Jesus».
This Christianity as a spiritual path is what really counts. However, from being a movement it soon became a religious institution, with several forms of organization. In its bosom were developed different interpretations of the figure of Jesus, that were transformed into doctrines, and gathered into the official Gospels. The Churches, when they assumed institutional character, established criteria of belonging and of exclusion, doctrines such as identity reference and their own rites of celebration. Sociology, and not theology, explains that phenomenon. The institution always exists in tension with the spiritual path. The ideal is that they develop together, but that is rare. The most important, in any case, is the spiritual path. This has a future and animates the meaning of life.
The problem of the Roman Catholic Church is her claim of being the only true one. The correct approach is for all the Churches to recognize each other, because they reveal different and complementary dimensions of the message of the Nazarene. What is important is for Christianity to maintain its character as a spiritual path. That can sustain so many Christian men and women in the face of the mediocrity and irrelevancy into which the present Catholic Church has fallen.

Leonardo Boff

08-12-2011

Because I do not know the source of this letter, I am publishing it in its entirety.  I have a longstanding love of Leonardo Buff and the work he did in developing Small Base Communities.  I do think these are he way the church will grow in the 21st century.  
Diane Dougherty ARCWP   add57@numail.org

Vatican announces indulgences for World Youth Day

Vatican announces indulgences for World Youth Day
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To help encourage prayers for a spiritually fruitful World Youth Day in Madrid, the Vatican announced Aug. 11 that Pope Benedict XVI had authorized a special indulgence for anyone who, "with a contrite spirit," raises a "prayer to God, the Holy Spirit,.........
In central Madrid's Buen Retiro Park, 200 portable confessionals will be set up for confessions that begin Aug. 14. The pope will hear confessions at the park Aug. 20. 

http://ncronline.org/blogs/bulletins-human-side/wyd-indulgences-rome-fiddles-while-we-burn

 When I read this, I immediately thought someone should coordinate a victim's group to sit at those confessionals and hear the confessions of priests.....and bishops......as a mater of fact, I had this dream a long time ago.  The clergy lined up for miles......
Diane Dougherty   http://dianedoughertysblog.blogspot.com/    add57@numail.org

Five Dougherty's are in the News This Week

 Five Dougherty's are in the News This Week   8/13/2011


Five “Dougherty’s” have been in the news this week, three for criminal behavior and two for questionable behavior.  All have challenged existing social systems.  

The first three are siblings in their 20’s.  Society will try the young adults in a court of law for “…. attempted murder of a police officer in two Colorado counties, ….and for shooting at police in Florida, and robbing a bank in Georgia.” http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/08/12/139588571
 

The other two are committed to Catholicism and are causing tension and stress on that system as it exists today.  One is following questionable external authority,- the other says she is following a  long standing internal authority.  Both stand on opposite ends of a balance, but will cause others to place their existing systems out of whack.  One is following orders from a hierarchy above them; the other is following a well formed conscience that challenges that hierarchy and the pseudo-authority it promotes.  Both have deep-seated beliefs that they are acting in good faith. Both have had their names splashed over the globe.

Edward Dougherty is the general superior of the Maryknoll’s, a  global religious and missionary community grounded in gospel mandates committed to promote Catholic Social teaching.  He is following the Vatican requests by delivering a second canonical warning to one of his brothers, Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who advocates for Women’s Ordination.  Fr. Roy has refused to recant, forcing Dougherty to give his brother notice that he must get off the gospel tightrope and join the hierarchical status quo.  Bourgeois says he is following his informed conscience.  If God calls women and they respond, how can the hierarchy say they can’t?  The hierarchy is not God.  I wonder if Ed feels the Vatican pressure is adding to the community’s mission of being a visible gospel witness of Christ’s mandate to live justly?  Or, does he really understand he is being put in that schizophrenic double bind, suspended in the “damned if I act and damned if I don’t “ mode.  To me, the very request is an act of psychological terrorism.

Diane Dougherty, that is me, stands with her brother Roy and a growing number of women who belong to the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.  We have defied the Vatican’s unjust social teaching and followed the gospel mandate to work toward justice and equality for all within the institution.  Sexism and its practices are not part of the gospel mandate-it is just that simple.  In this time, in this age, we stand together making a wedge in the oppressive psychological chain that has caused women of the past to bend and tow under the hierarchy’s thumb.

I believe a broad range of Catholics are making a shift  unprecedented in any age of human history, and “The Dougherty’s”, whose religious call and passion have stood as candle bearers of the gospel could be the primary cause that shifts the minds and hearts of a broad range of people. 
 

Because we do not know our future, we can only ask the question-which Dougherty will prevail-Ed Dougherty, who is following orders that will lead a religious populace to believe God cannot and will not call women to serve; or, Diane Dougherty, who moved 23 years through the Catholic population as a Sister, 23 years in the service of Catholics as committed lay ecclesial minister and now as an ordained deacon?

Roy Bourgeois is a guiding light for Catholics.  He is a prophet, like John, bearing witness to a new order.  He has seen clearly that God does call women, and by their fruits, you shall know them.  The Dougherty’s have thrust the Catholic population in a “Catholic vice” of sorts, as the Vatican turns the screws.  The unimagined psychological tension is hurtful for all who refuse to go elsewhere.  It is said the largest religion in America is the Catholic Diaspra, the 33 million Catholics who no longer practice religion, but claim Catholicism as their own.  The Pope is satisfied that Catholicism will become smaller and purer.  For my part, this translation means it will maintain sexist practices as intrinsic to Catholic Social Teaching.

Clear thinkers, clear prayers, clear people of God will know this is false teaching.  A growing number of us  will stand firm, choosing the tension and not backing off.  By standing firm, all the baptized will eventually be challenged to make their own shift.  Only time will tell which Dougherty will tip the balance.

Diane Dougherty,  Association of Roman Catholic Priests, http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/
add57@numail.org

Priest Excommunicated For Kentucky Ordination Faces Dismissal From Order

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wuky/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1839257/LocalRegional.News/Priest.Excommunicated.For.Kentucky.Ordination.Faces.Dismissal.From.Order

Josh James (2011-08-11)

Listen Now:

LEXINGTON, KY (wuky) - A nationally known priest who participated in a ceremony in Kentucky ordaining a woman is refusing to recant his views despite pressure from his order and the Vatican.

Rev. Roy Bourgeois was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church in 2008 for taking part in the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska. Since that time, he's continued his affiliation with Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers but remains staunch in his support for the ordination of women. Mike Virgintino, communications manager for the order, said, "Maryknoll has tried to foster dialogue regarding this issue and now it's come to a time when Maryknoll can do no more."

But Bourgeois is still defiant, despite a second canonical warning from the order. Sevre-Duszynska, who continues her work for the church, sees inspiration in Bourgeois' unyielding stance.

"Father Roy Bourgeois is a modern day prophet who has been following the primacy of his conscience," she said.

A decision on Bourgeois' removal from the order is expected in the next few weeks. Then it would be up to the Vatican to decide whether he can remain a priest.

Pink Smoke Over the Vatican, a documentary about the women's ordination movement in the Catholic Church featuring Janice Sevre-Duszynska ,will be screened at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington August 16th.

 Press Release/Maryknoll Priest Faces Removal from Priesthood

	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 8, 2011 Maryknoll Priest Faces Removal from the Priesthood; Receives Second Canonical Warning for His Support of Women’s Equality in the Catholic Church Under pressure from the Vatican, the Maryknoll Catholic religious order has issued a second canonical warning to Fr. Roy Bourgeois stating he will be dismissed from the order and his priesthood if he does not recant his support for women priests.  Fr. Roy responded to this latest threat: “As people of faith we believe in the primacy of conscience. Our conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do what is right, what is just. What you are asking me to do in your letter is not possible without betraying my conscience. In essence, you are telling me to lie. This I cannot do, therefore I will not recant. I firmly believe that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, against our Church, and against our God.” "The culture of bullying within the Catholic Church cannot be tolerated any longer," said, Erin Hanna, Executive Director of the Women’s Ordination Conference. “It is contrary to the gospel itself to bully and dismiss faithful priests who dare to break the silence in support of women's rightful role in the Church.” “Jesus himself welcomed women as well as men into ministerial leadership,” said Jim FitzGerald, Call To Action’s Executive Director. "It is a shame that our church does not do likewise.” ” "The Vatican does not excommunicate the pedophile-priests who have raped and sodomized Catholic youth, or punish the bishops who covered up these crimes. Yet, now in this outrageous action they stand ready to defrock Fr. Roy, priest of the people and prophet for justice who has served God for over 40 years as a well-known peace and justice activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee," said Bridget Mary Meehan, from the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. Suzanne Thiel of Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA affirmed: “Regardless of personal consequences, Fr. Roy refuses to be cowed by men who support an unjust law that knowingly discriminates against half the Body of Christ. He sees the face of Jesus in his sisters.” An online petition, sponsored by the Association of Roman Catholic Womenpriests, Call To Action USA, and Roman Catholic Womenpriests–USA, Women's Ordination Conference, and co-sponsored by 15 church-justice organizations, has garnered over 8,000 signatures of Catholics across the globe and continues to build momentum.

				### The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests are ordained women who live and minister in the United States and South America. The Association prepares and ordains qualified women to serve the people of God as priests and uses equal rites to promote equal rights to achieve justice for women in the church. For more information, visit www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org Contact: Bridget Mary Meehan, 703.505.0004         Call To Action (CTA) educates, inspires and activates Catholics to act for justice and build inclusive communities through a lens of anti-racism and anti-oppression principles. An independent national organization of over 25,000 people and 53 local chapters, CTA believes that the Spirit of God is at work in the whole church, not just in its appointed leaders. For more information, visit www.cta-usa.org Contact: Nicole Sotelo, Director of Communications, 773.404.0004       x285 Roman Catholic Womenpriests USA’s mission  is to spiritually prepare, ordain, and support women and men from all states of life, who are theologically qualified, who are committed to an inclusive model of Church, and who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to minister. For more information, visit www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org. Contact: Suzanne Thiel,       503.784.3330 Women's Ordination Conference, founded in 1975, is the oldest and largest national organization that works to ordain women as priests, deacons and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic church.  WOC represents the 63 percent of U.S. Catholics that support women's ordination.  WOC also promotes perspectives on ordination that call for more accountability and less separation between the clergy and laity.  For more information, visit www.womensordination.org. Contact: Erin Saiz Hanna, Executive Director             202.675.1006       (office),            401.588.0457       (cell)

NEW The Breakup: Why Ireland Is No Longer the Vatican's Loyal Follower

COMMENT:

Laity are Bystanders No More......

Far from winding down, this crisis blossoms. The next generation will not look toward the hierarchy for moral authority.  In this article, the Catholic lay leaders give voice.....this is not anti Catholic-it is anti hierarchy.....because they have refused to lead us, protect our children or bend in sorrow for their misdeeds.

The Breakup: Why Ireland Is No Longer the Vatican's Loyal Follower

By Genevieve Carbery / Dublin Wednesday, Jul. 27, 2011

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2085306,00.html


Indeed, Kenny's attack carries more weight for ordinary Irish Catholics because he leads the traditionally staunchly Catholic party Fine Gael. "It was not an anti-Catholic speech, but was pro-children and pro-Ireland," Madden says. "The fact that his speech will probably not lose Kenny a single vote — but will most likely gain him some — is a sign of a shift from excessive deference in political circles and wider culture," Says Michael Kelly, deputy editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper. Thanks to more than a decade of horrific abuse scandals, the Vatican's power over ordinary Irish Catholics has grown weaker and weaker. "There has been an absolute loss of moral authority for the Church, and Catholics will increasingly privatize their faith — keeping their distance from and not looking to the hierarchy as previous generations did," Kelly says.(See why the Pope's apology may not be enough.)