Catholic Church is a ‘toxic place’ for women

Catholic Church is a ‘toxic place’ for women


Anton McNulty

AN ordained woman Catholic Bishop claims the Catholic Church is a toxic place for women and the threat of excommunication will not stop people from facilitating the ordination of women priests.
Laois native, Bridget Mary Meehan, an ordained Bishop of the Roman Catholic Women Priests organisation in the US was speaking at the Humbert Summer School in Castlebar. Bishop Meehan, a former nun was one of eight women who defied the Vatican American Catholic Church authorities four years ago when they were ordained priests on a chartered ship near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Speaking at the Summer School, she hit out at the Vatican’s decision to clamp down on women taking Holy Orders and said the Church is a ‘toxic place’ for women.
“Is it a crime to ordain a woman, or is the real crime the institutional church’s discrimination against women? The new Vatican norms place the ordaining of women called by God to priesthood on the list of grave sins next to paedophilia, heresy, apostasy, and schism. This has been a wake-up call for Catholic women that the Church is a toxic life for them,” she said.
Bishop Meehan said that Roman Catholic Women Priests are living Jesus’ example of gospel equality and claimed their community is thriving despite the threat of excommunication.
“The Catholic people have accepted us as their priests and they continue to support us from the seven bold women on the Danube to over 100 now. They are ministering in over 23 states in the US, Canada, Scotland, France, Germany and soon in South America.”
She said the Canon law which excludes women from becoming priests was unjust and added that like all unjust laws it should be broken. She compared the Catholic Church to a global crime family and they were leading the Church into a new era.
“It is time for Catholics who love their faith to take back their church and reform it. The good news is that the birthing process has already begun. Roman Catholic Women priests are faithful members of our church. We are not leaving the Catholic church we are leading the church into a new era of equality of justice for women. Like Rosa Parks who refused to sit in the back of the bus, we will not accepts second class membership in our church. No Vatican punishment no matter how many excommunications they send our way will stop our movement.”