Dissident Catholic group ordains female priests

By Jim Coggins

FIVE WOMEN were ordained as priests and deacons in Toronto last Sunday by the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement (RCWP).

Marie Bouclin of Sudbury became Canada's second RCWP priest; the first was Michele Birch-Conery of Parksville, B.C. Two Americans were also declared priests. Two women and one man were ordained as deacons, including Monica Kilburn-Smith of Calgary and James Lauder of Victoria. Lauder is a married man, and so could not be ordained in the Roman Catholic Church.

The movement began in 2002 when the 'Danube seven' were ordained in Europe by a Roman Catholic bishop from Argentina. The next year, two of those women were made bishops -- supposedly by Roman Catholic bishops, as yet unnamed.

Since then, the movement has ordained more than a dozen priests and over a dozen deacons, and has more than 150 others preparing for ordination.

Excommunicated

The Danube seven were excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church, and the church does not recognize the movement.

Representatives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, in which the ordinations took place, told CC.com they had had no contact with the movement. Father Damian MacPherson, director of ecumenical and interfaith affairs for the Archdiocese, said: "Whatever happened had no relationship to the Roman Catholic Church whatsoever, whatever those individuals may say."

An editorial in the National Post also ridiculed the movement, labeling it as "not Catholic." The editorial asked why the participants didn't just join some other Christian group.

Francois Brassard, media coordinator for RCWP, told CC.com the women involved were "cradle Catholics" who have Roman Catholic roots and who "feel strongly about the need to reform the Roman Catholic church on certain issues." In particular, those in the movement oppose canon law 1024, which says only males can be ordained. They see this law as unjust and discriminatory.

Brassard said the movement also advocates a less hierarchical and clericalist way of doing ministry, which is "more in keeping with the way Jesus practiced ministry," and which focuses on empowering people on the margins.

RCWP stresses that its ordinations are in "apostolic succession," since they began with ordination by a Roman Catholic bishop. MacPherson countered that this is "not reasonable" -- since Roman Catholic doctrine forbids the ordination of women, the ordinations are automatically invalid, he said.

Brassard said ordinations in apostolic succession are important as a transitional stage to gain credibility. He cited RCWP bishop Patricia Fresen -- who said that, without the ordinations, "no one would take us seriously. We would be seen as just another sect."

Fresen went on to say that the ordinations are a way to demonstrate the equality of women and break down sexism in the church, but that "One day in the future . . . there may well be a return to the practice in the very early church, when there was no ordination of priests [and] people in the community took turns in leading."

Margins

Bouclin, author of Seeking Wholeness: Women Dealing with Abuse of Power in the Catholic Church, described herself as an "orthodox Catholic" who decided to be ordained so she could "reach out sacramentally to women who have been badly hurt by male clergy. There is a need to give a woman's face to the healing of Christ."

Having worked with women who had been sexually abused by priests, she said she "realized that until women are ordained, stories of abuse will never be taken seriously, and reaching out for healing" will not happen.

Perhaps typical of the people Bouclin is interested in helping is Irene Deschenes, who first brought accusations against Father Charles Sylvestre -- who was later convicted of 47 counts of child sexual abuse. Deschenes attended Bouclin's ordination -- which was remarkable, she said, because just entering a church triggers such trauma that she usually has to leave immediately.

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Marie Bouclin is seen here during her recent ordination ceremony. Photo courtesy of Vision TV

Deschenes said she now considers herself "an atheist." Although she says her "lost faith, community, and spirituality are something I search for every day," she "wouldn't go to a church." She said she would be more likely to go to a woman priest such as Bouclin, because "women are wired to give sympathy" -- and male priests who aren't abusers don't understand because "they have no sexual experience."

Neil MacCarthy, a media relations representative for the Archdiocese of Toronto, said the church "doesn't have the authority to change" the rules Jesus established, noting that Jesus deliberately chose to have only male apostles. However, he mentioned the many women who have played important roles in the church, from Mother Teresa to the nun who taught him religion classes in school.

MacCarthy said he could understand how victims of abuse "would have a hard time coming back to church" -- but that the church would welcome them with open arms if they did return. MacPerson agreed, stating there are a growing number of trained and professional spiritual female advisors within the church whom victims such as Deschenes could go to. Both men cited statements by recent popes, affirming the role of women.

Theology

The Post editorial suggested the RCWP movement's ideology is not so much Roman Catholic as feminist and "Unitarian."

Bouclin insisted "Jesus Christ is at the centre of my faith," and said the small groups she ministers to -- often called "circles" -- are focused on Bible reading and prayer.

However, Brassard said RCWP is "more interested in pastoral care than theology" -- and, while it has no doctrinal statement, it accepts the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church.

On the other hand, Brassard described RCWP as an "inclusive" movement. He said the movement generally takes a different position than the Roman Catholic church on a series of issues related to sexual morality, but maintained that those teachings of the Church are "not dogmas," and contended that the vast majority of Roman Catholics in North America also disagree with the church hierarchy on those issues.

Brassard said the inclusive nature of the movement means RCWP "does not inquire" about the sexual practices or sexual orientation of candidates for the priesthood.

When asked about the fact that a Muslim woman participated in the ordination of the six candidates in Scarborough, Brassard said that the inclusive approach of RCWP means that it is open to other religions. "None of us have total truth . . . Other religions have truth that can be enlightening and helpful in our common search for God, Spirit, or Higher Power."

The May 27 ordination received considerable media attention. It was filmed by Vision TV's 360 Vision program for an episode, focusing on the journeys of Bouclin and Deschenes, that will be rebroadcast June 4. This will be the last episode for the award-winning program, which has been cancelled by Vision TV's parent company S-Vox after running for more than four years.

May 31/2007

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