OK. So here’s a story about a 70 year old former nun who took part in a ceremony in which she pretends to become a Catholic priest.
Maybe I’ve been blogging too long but these kinds of things happen with enough frequency that I’ve become bored with the story. But what did jump out at me was this lede from MSN News:
In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority.
Rosemarie Smead is one of about 150 women around the world who have decided not to wait for the Roman Catholic Church to lift its ban on women priests, but to be ordained and start their own congregations.
That lede doesn’t really tell you an awful lot about the Church but it tells you plenty about how the media views the Church. Look how it says that these women “have decided not to wait” for the Church to ordain women and they’ll just go ahead and do it themselves. As if it were a certitude that it was just a matter of time before the Catholic Church starts synching up with the Episcopalians.
We can laugh this off as media bias but this kind of thinking is contagious and can be very damaging to people’s souls.
Instead of viewing the Church’s countercultural statements and stands as a prophetic gift to the culture many people completely miss it because they believe it’s just a matter of time before the Catholic Church simply accepts passing fads as truth. Instead of being intrigued by the difference between the Church and the culture, people accept that the Church will eventually become a weathervane.
People have become used to those whom the media targets buckling under the intense pressure, issuing apologies, and swearing fealty to liberal clichés. Perhaps the fact that the Church does not, will not may seem interesting to those who believe surrender is imminent.
April 29, 2013 at 7:05 am
So my questions are, into what tradition was she ordained and that now makes her what, with the ability to do what exactly???
These reports are quite sad really.
April 29, 2013 at 11:18 am
Interesting. "…a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority."
'Ordained' by whom, exactly? What bishop? Where?
The media seem to be rather coy about this. No mention of who was the officiating prelate.
Oh, of course, they kept his name under wraps to avoid any retaliation by the Church.
Yeah, right.
April 29, 2013 at 12:46 pm
The “ordination” did not take place in a Roman Catholic Church according to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. How can it be Roman Catholic? ‘I believe the church offers the saving truth of Jesus, and I reject what the church teaches.’ In effect, they would contradict themselves. This sort of behavior would result in publicly renouncing one’s integrity and logically bring shame for a double-dealing that is not unlike perjury.” Allen Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit
When a person leaves the church why does she call herself Catholic?
April 29, 2013 at 12:55 pm
Poor, demented thing. Some in her condition think they are Napoleon. The malevolent heretics who encouraged her in this mockery have much to answer for.
April 29, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Excommunicate.
April 29, 2013 at 1:57 pm
"We can laugh this off as media bias but this kind of thinking is contagious and can be very damaging to people's souls."
Precisely why our bishops need to be making public excommunication in such cases. The scandal here is the damage she may do to others.
April 29, 2013 at 2:14 pm
"Mirage".
April 29, 2013 at 3:26 pm
So I read more about this group of women. Apparently there were three womenpriests (their term!) who were validly 'ordained' to the episocapcy by three male bishops – but no one is telling who those guys are just yet. So then these three have been having a fine time ordaining other women and elevating some womenpriests to womenbishop. And of course they can all show their line of apostolic succession. Except, I though to be a 'ROMAN' Catholic bishop you kind of needed to 'be in communion with the Bishop of ROME'.
The best line in the article of the 'ordination' was when the 70 year old former nun stated she was not going to listen to a bunch of 'octogenarians!' But we should pay attention to a septuagenarian?
Just one more thing – the article I read by Kristen Butler on UPI.com gave one reason why the Church does not ordain women. "The Vatican, as a matter of doctrine, does not allow women priests because Jesus chose only men for his apostles," she states. That doesn't sound too serious an obstacle to overcome, does it?
But wait, what about all the other reasons that the Church has stated over and over again through the centuries? Maybe if we ignore those we could see how backward thinking our 'octogenarian' male rulers really are. Or maybe if we took some time to study and discuss Sacramental Theology we might come to a deeper understanding of our teaching on 'in persona Christi'. I could happen. (But I'm not holding my breath!)
April 29, 2013 at 4:46 pm
Prophetic yes. But what kind?
April 29, 2013 at 6:21 pm
We recently held a ceremony in which we crowned my dad King of Denmark. I didn't want to wait for the crowne of Denmark to open up the kingship to commoners…and non Danish ones at that, so we went ahead with the ceremony. I decided I was qualified to perform the ceremony because, why would I listen to the Danish royalty? I mean, like, I should be able to be something, without doing all the things that define that specific something. Of course, we will issue rulings in secret because we aren't actually Danish royalty and realize no one will listen to anything we y seriously, except the media. Who will be doing a nine part special on the New Danish Royalty.
April 30, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Thanks, Proteios1, for the suggestion. Now I just need to find someone with an old crown lying around and get myself crowned Miss America. Of course, I'm 60+ and weigh as much as the current claimant plus the Runners' Up and Miss Congeniality all in a sack, but I don't want to wait for them to open the contest to the rest of humanity, which I am sure they will do someday.
April 30, 2013 at 8:57 pm
Rather like the whole "gay marriage" thing – calling a cup a shoe doesn't make it so.