Feminism
Excommunication for participation in "Ordination" of women reiterated
By Staff

Hardcopy Issue Date: July/August 2008
Online Publication Date: Aug 18, 2008, 12:52

Rome – On May 30, 2008 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith restated its earlier condemnation of women seeking ordination.  In the case of an attempted female ordination, both the candidate and the person performing the ceremony incur automatic excommunication (latae sententiae).  Neither the Holy See nor the local bishop needs to intervene: the excommunication is automatic.

Actually, the issue of women’s ordination died years ago.  Pope John Paul II in his 1994 apostolic letter “On the Priestly Ordination of Women,” made it clear that the Church had “no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women,” and that this was in fidelity to the will and example of Jesus.

However, in its charity for wayward people, the Vatican feels it necessary from time to time to remind the faithful of earlier conclusions and statements because some are hard of hearing. The issue, for example, continues to be discussed in some liberal Catholic publications.  Commonweal magazine, for example, published the article “Why not ordain women?” by Robert J. Egan, S.J. on April 11, 2008. 

On May 29, with a United Church as the venue, Victoria, BC was the scene of the “ordination” of Monica Kilburn Smith of Calgary who thereby promptly entered the ranks of the excommunicated “Womenpriests,” following in the footsteps of two other Canadian women who were “ordained” in 2002. Proponents of female priests argue that as in the case of ordaining married men, there is a need for women priests due to a worldwide shortage or priests.  Others, including some of Kilburn Smith’s supporters, claim that excluding women is tantamount to “gender apartheid” (Graeme Morton, Calgary Herald, May 4, 2008.)  Their understanding of the Catholic Church is sociological (a product of society), not theological (founded by Divine Revelation.)