The church reform group that represents about a quarter of Ireland’s Catholic priests has issued a statement of support for Roy Bourgeois (pictured), the US Maryknoll priest that the Vatican laicised and dismissed from his order because of his support of women’s ordination, reports NCR Online.
The Association of Catholic Priests (Ireland) on Friday called on the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “to cease this type of abuse, to restore Fr Bourgeois to the full exercise of his ministry and to allow for open and honest discussion on issues that are of crucial importance for the future of the Church”.
“We believe that this type of action, ordered by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and implemented by the Maryknoll Order, is unjust, and ultimately counter-productive,” reads the statement from the association.
“Dismissing people because they have sincerely held views that are contrary to those of the Vatican, but which are widely shared by the Catholic faithful, will not end discussion and debate on these topics,” it says.
The Association of Catholic Priests, which was founded by eight priests two years ago, has grown to represent about 1,000 of Ireland’s some 4,000 priests. The association aims at the “full implementation of the vision and teaching of the Second Vatican Council” and a “restructuring of the governing system of the Church,” according to the hroup's constitution.
The association has also called for an end to mandatory celibacy and the ordination of women.
FULL STORY Irish priest association supports Bourgeois (NCR)