Marie Bouclin of Sudbury became the second Canadian female to be ordained a priest by the Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) movement, in a Toronto ceremony held May 27. RCWP began in 2002 when the 'Danube seven' were ordained in Europe; they were excommunicated by the Catholic church. Father Damian MacPherson of the Archdiocese of Toronto told BCCN: "Whatever happened had no relationship to the Roman Catholic Church whatsoever, whatever those individuals may say."

Francois Brassard, RCWP media coordinator, said the women are "cradle Catholics" who "feel strongly about the need to reform the Roman Catholic church." In particular, RCWP opposes canon law 1024, which says only males can be ordained. Photo: Vision TV.

July 2007