ACTION ITEM! Fr. Z CALLS FOR AN END TO DISCRIMINATION!

At WaPo, disgraced ex-priest and expert whiner Roy Bourgeois has an op-ed piece. Roy’s fundamental problem is that he sees ordination as a question of power and “policy”.

Here is a sample paragraph:

I saw the exclusion of women from the priesthood as a grave injustice and, in good conscience, I could not remain silent. The punishment for raising the question of equality was severe – I was thrown out of the community that I love.

The typical dissenter’s refrain: “Me, me, me…it’s all about ME!”

Going on, Bourgeois tries to co-opt Pope Francis and his new style:

Perhaps the biggest change demonstrated by the pope’s comments is the sense of liberation among Catholics to freely discuss the many issues facing the church. The fear that led so many to keep their doubts about current policy to themselves under the previous two popes seems to have been lifted. However, Pope Francis’s pastoral tone should not be mistaken for pastoral action. We need mechanisms and forums for the official church to hear the voices of the laity, especially women & LGBT Catholics. The people of the church are talking but we need the hierarchy to listen to groups like the Women’s Ordination Conference, DignityUSA, and the majority of Catholics who support a church based on justice. We cannot allow for the inconsistencies of justice in Pope Francis’s comments to stand without speaking out.

I have questions for Roy.

First, what about a Transgendered Ordination Conference?  Roy is being exclusivist.  What about the Ungendered Ordination Conference?  After all, people should be able to choose what they are without Roy’s prejudices against them.

Next, what about all the Traditionalist LBGT Catholics who follow, say, the SSPX? Don’t they have a right to be ordained too?

What we need is a big summit. We need a … a… conference!

We need a Traditionalist Ordination Conference! TOC!

This Conference will help prevent bishops from discriminating against Traditional Catholics who are convinced that they are called to the priesthood.

We need a color for our ribbons. I think the WOC (spell it backwards) uses pink, … for lots of reasons, I suspect.

Maybe TOC could use… scarlet? White and gold?

We need to get this going.

I see the exclusion of traditionalists from the priesthood as a grave injustice and, in good conscience, I cannot remain silent. The punishment for raising the question of equality has been severe – I was thrown out of the seminary and diocese that I love.

The discrimination MUST STOP!

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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29 Comments

  1. Cantor says:

    … like the Women’s Ordination Conference, DignityUSA, and the majority of Catholics who support a church based on justice

    I like the way he breaks this into three distinct groups. So the majority of Catholics who want justice don’t get confused with the other two!

  2. Precentrix says:

    Scarlet and black ;-)

  3. VexillaRegis says:

    Black and red of course!

  4. idelsan says:

    “Discrimination”? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. :)

  5. TMKent says:

    I think the conference is an excellent idea.

    As for DignityUSA… concerned with “justice”??!!
    30 years ago a priest/teacher at my Catholic high school convinced a close male friend of mine (under age at the time) to run off with him to New York. That same pervert still calls himself a priest in DignityNY and teaches classes celebrating the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. The friend? I’ve never found anyone who knows what became of him.

  6. Cantor says:

    TMKent –

    That’s a serious allegation, and I hope that you’ve brought specific details to the attention of diocesan, school and order officials. You’re right not to post such details here, but the Church has resources that might be able to reach your friend, and certainly ensure it doesn’t happen again.

  7. Lisa Graas says:

    I guess the Divine Majesty isn’t as appealing to Roy Bourgeois as the “Bourgeois majesty” is.

  8. Cathy says:

    I was going to say, black and red, maybe time for a poll!

  9. Theology Nerd says:

    …”and the majority of Catholics who support a church based on justice”… silly me, I prefer a Church based on Jesus Christ! Go figure!

  10. ClavesCoelorum says:

    Scarlet and black! :)

  11. michelekc says:

    Forget summits and conferences! I want Super PACs and elections!

  12. msc says:

    I’m for yellow and white.
    It’s also always about formal organizations and lobby groups. There are mechanisms for people’s voices to be heard: they can talk to their priests, write to their bishops, etc. But the protesters always love a party.

  13. lelnet says:

    “Roy’s fundamental problem is that he sees ordination as a question of power and ‘policy’.”

    I can understand the ignorance of uninformed lay people who erroneously see it that way. He, having been there, ought to know better.

    Perhaps that’s not just the cause of his bogus opinions about the ordination of women…perhaps, indeed, it’s the fundamental reason he was a bad priest, and is now effectively an ex-priest.

    It would be one thing if he were merely a disingenuous liar. But no…I believe that he sincerely sees the world, the priesthood, and his own role in both through that prism. Which explains…so very, very much about him.

  14. Michael_Thoma says:

    Kent, Which one is it – let us know so we can keep our families away from the man.
    http://www.dignityny.org/sites/default/files/Pride%20Liturgy%202013.JPG

  15. Tradster says:

    Be sure to post a photo of your satisfied grin as you reject the LCWR’s request to attend the conference.

    [So cynical! o{]:¬) ]

    Fr. Z's Gold Star Award

  16. Siculum says:

    Agreed, Father! And the topic for the following conference can be about the unholy discrimination of men from becoming nuns! In fact, why call it the LCWR at all? *That* is discriminatory in and of itself.

  17. Bea says:

    Theological Nerd:
    I got the same thought:

    Good grief, what a statement from Roy B. ! ;
    “The people of the church are talking but we need the hierarchy to listen to groups like the Women’s Ordination Conference, DignityUSA, and the majority of Catholics who support a church based on justice. ”

    People of the ‘church’? but, certainly not people of the ‘Church’. We’re talking on a different vein.
    “majority of Catholics?” I think it’s more like a LOUD minority.
    Church based on “justice”? What happened to a Church based on Christ’s Suffering and Dying on the Cross and His subsequent Resurrection? Nothing “Just” about His Sufferings and Dying for us, only a Great Love.

    Poor Roy and his ilk, how could they have become so blinded?

  18. Bea says:

    Red and Black by all means
    “Say the Black, Do the Red”

  19. Athelstan says:

    Bourgeois writes: “Perhaps the biggest change demonstrated by the pope’s comments is the sense of liberation among Catholics to freely discuss the many issues facing the church.”

    “Discuss,” of course, translates to “completely accept my point of view on.” If that does not result, it was not a real “discussion.”

    All of which is as likely as Roy Bourgeois signing on to the need for a “Traditionalist Ordination Conference.” These are people for whom there can be no tolerance. None!

  20. LadyMarchmain says:

    The red and the black!

  21. Elizabeth D says:

    When I see a headline on Pewsitter that says “I have questions for Roy…” that ought to be kind of inexplicable as a headline, yet I immediately and almost certainly know not only which Roy, but also who is the blogger. And I laugh and laugh before I even get to the blog article.

  22. JacobWall says:

    Father, you mention “Traditionalist LBGT Catholics”:
    http://webspace.webring.com/people/up/pharsea/
    To me it looks as though (sadly enough) that page is serious. I don’t see anything about becoming priests, but …

  23. MarkG says:

    For colors for your TOC, I would prefer blue and red for my two favorite saints:
    Blue for the Virgin Mary
    Red for Saint Michael the Archangel

    I don’t know who the guy is in the original article, but at first glance, it sounds like he might be trying to settle an old score by doing shout out to any and all groups that he sees as having conflict with the Church. Then again, I don’t know him, so maybe that isn’t the case.

    >>>Next, what about all the Traditionalist LBGT Catholics who follow, say, the SSPX? Don’t they have a right to be ordained too?
    I was under the impression that if they were male and celibate, it was ok.
    Otherwise, it’s a thin market, so they should probably use their efforts elsewhere. Or just give up and go to the Old Catholic Church which ordains women and non-celibate LGBT.

    Although I do recommend anyone who wants to be a priest to check out the SSPX seminary near Minneapolis. I’ve never wanted to be a priest, but have visited there. It’s a very incredible experience to attend Mass there. Even though it’s the same TLM, it has a totally different feel to it in that environment. The seminarians all wear black cassocks around the school and for services all put on a white surplices. They are all appear young, energetic, etc. I’ve never been to the ordinations there before, but would like to get up there for them one day.

  24. frjim4321 says:

    Once again I am going to ruin my chance for the Gold Star.

    I was just about to AGREE with “The typical dissenter’s refrain: “Me, me, me…it’s all about ME!” comment about Roy’s “I saw the exclusion of women from the priesthood as a grave injustice and, in good conscience, I could not remain silent. The punishment for raising the question of equality was severe – I was thrown out of the community that I love.”

    I was going to say, “Yes, I have to grant you that there’s a lot of narcissism going on here, for example just look at the number of times he uses the first personal pronoun in just two sentences!” Then I come across this:

    “I see the exclusion of traditionalists from the priesthood as a grave injustice and, in good conscience, I cannot remain silent. The punishment for raising the question of equality has been severe – I was thrown out of the seminary and diocese that I love.”

    Ruined my whole argument in agreeing with the initial observation! So another rare shot at the Gold Star is foiled for me again.

    All seriousness aside, my read on Roy is that he’s lost a sense of perspective, and yes I would agree with the sentiment that he’s doing quite a bit of naval gazing here. I find the quite recent pronouncements not in favor of the ordination of women disappointing and poorly justified, but I’m not going to let it stop me from working within the margins and doing good ministerial work every day.

    O gee, that’s a lot of “I’s” in one paragraph!

  25. my kidz mom says:

    frjim wrote: “I find the quite recent pronouncements not in favor of the ordination of women disappointing and poorly justified…”

    >sigh<

    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/3719365071_147eccb532.jpg

  26. Cathy says:

    What pronouncement? The Church said No. No means no. Know what no means, it means no. Our Lord said, let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no.

  27. celpar says:

    ‘The fear that led so many people to keep their doubts about current policy to themselves’ under the last 2 Popes. ‘The fear’? What fear? Dissenting Catholics have been a vociferous presence for years, they’re just a whole lot more cheerful now, because they think Pope Francis is, if not exactly one of them, allowing them some wriggle room. And of course ‘policy’- dissenting Catholics see the Church in terms of secular politics. Never mind the deposit of faith, those last 2 bad Popes had ‘policies’ that we can now overturn or disregard.

  28. Fool_for_Christ says:

    When is the first conference? I’ll tell all of the ex-seminarians I know (driven out because they genuflected before the Blessed Sacrament or “believed” in the Rosary or agreed with JPII – no women priests ever, or maintained that the Catechism was right in saying that homosexuality is indeed a grave sin, etc. Although most of these men are now married, at least they could rally for future seminarians (they aren’t interested in being “married priests”).

    ;-)

  29. The saddest thing is: there is no such thing as an ex-priest. :(

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