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| Magdalena (by Gheorghe Tattarescu) |
Last week, a dedicated group of independent Catholics took this meaning to heart.
In a ceremony at St. Andrew United Church of Christ in Louisville, Kentucky, Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan ordained former Carmelite nun Rosemarie Smead as a priest. During her sermon, Meehan stated: As a woman priest, Rosemarie is leading, not leaving
the Catholic Church, into a new era of inclusivity.
Two hundred hardy souls were in attendance for this ceremony. Mary
Wisniewski of Reuters reported that during the ordination, "Smead wept openly" while others blessed her and whispered: Thanks for doing this for us. During the accompanying communion service, one woman was heard saying: Girl, lift those
plates. I've been waiting a long time for this.
Certainly, it's been a real long time (centuries) since "the early Church had women priests, deacons and
bishops." It has
been even longer since Jesus Himself "chose women, like Mary Magalene, as disciples…" However, the Roman Catholic Church still "teaches that it has no authority to allow women to be priests because Jesus Christ chose only men as his apostles." Many today counter this latter viewpoint by saying that "Jesus was only acting according to the customs of his time."
Nevertheless, the Vatican's official position remains staunch on this matter. Last week, Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz referred to Smead's planned ordination as "simulated," and warned that "the simulation of a sacrament carries very serious penal sanctions in Church law…" He further stated that "Catholics should not support or participate in" Smead's ordination ceremony.
Smead herself remains steadfast. Her response to the Vatican's stand is this:
It [excommunication] has no
sting for me.
It is a Medieval bullying stick the bishops used to… keep
the voices of women silent.
Resources
http://news.yahoo.com/kentucky-woman-ordained-priest-defiance-roman-catholic-church-005633378.html
Copyright April 29, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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