Posts Tagged Jamie Manson
In ‘Querida Amazonia,’ Francis’ sacramental imagination stops short of women / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful, Women in Catholic Church on February 18, 2020
“How much disappointment and outrage would have erupted if the pope had moved forward with ordaining married men, but his retrograde words about women remained the same?” (National Catholic Reporter)
Perhaps no one was less surprised last week than I was when Pope Francis’ Querida Amazonia showed no openness to a female diaconate, and instead was laden with the language of gender complementarity in its discussion of women.
“For years I have used this column to document Francis’ beliefs about women and to plead with readers to be honest about how his thinking would seriously limit the possibilities of real change for women in the church. Beginning with his description of feminism as “chauvinism with skirts” early in his papacy in 2013 through his 2019 dithering on women deacons, I wrote on this topic at least 20 times in the last seven years.
“I did this not to sound like a broken record — though I most certainly did — but rather to spare myself and my fellow churchwomen from the heartbreak that I knew would come. Unless Francis moved beyond the theology of complementarity, women would never receive the justice they deserve from their church, an institution that they serve, sacrifice for, and very often sustain singlehandedly. The pope, unfortunately, never showed any signs of budging.
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Why does Francis’ passion for justice and unity stop short of women? / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on May 13, 2019
Francis’ boundless energy and dedication to peace and justice stands in stark contrast to the dithering way he is handling question of women deacons in his own church. His passionate cause for unity among churches and with people of other faiths, it seems, stops short of the women of his own church who are asking simply for more inclusive ways to serve. (National Catholic Reporter)
In June 2016, just after Pope Francis announced he would create a commission for the study of the history of women deacons in the Catholic Church, he joked to journalists, ‘When you want something not to be resolved, make a commission.’ Apparently, he wasn’t kidding after all.
“On May 7, while aboard the papal flight from Macedonia to Rome, Francis announced that, after three years of study, the papal commission was unable to find consensus and give a ‘definitive response’ on the role of women deacons in the first centuries of Christianity.
“He claimed that what remained unclear was whether women deacons received a sacramental ordination.
“‘It is fundamental that there is not certainty that it was an ordination with the same formula and the same finality of men’s ordination,’ he said.
“Anyone who has ever listened to Francis speak about women knows why this would be such a crucial distinction for him. Like popes before him, Francis believes strongly that women are not entitled to sacramental power or authority and that it is God’s intended purpose that men and women have different roles in the church.”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Stop shaming women for seeking equal power in the church / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women Deacons, Women in Catholic Church on August 17, 2016
In late June, on a flight back from Armenia, Pope Francis told a team of reporters that he was angry.
“What made Francis angry wasn’t the continued deaths of countless refugees, or the latest instance of environmental degradation or some grim statistics about rates of human trafficking. No, what angered him was the suggestion, by some in the media, that he had ‘opened the door to deaconesses,’ after his May 12 dialogue with the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) …
“But the pope’s anger over the notion that admitting women to some form of the diaconate was already a fait accompli suggests the depth of angst conjured by even the suggestion of offering women a semblance of authority in the church.”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this column.
In meeting with Fellay, Pope Francis shows double standard in the ‘culture of encounter’ / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Future of the Church, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on April 7, 2016
Earlier this week (Apr. 4), NCR’s Joshua J. McElwee reported that, on April 1, Pope Francis met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X. Founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Society widely rejects the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
“According to the society’s website, the ‘false teachings’ of Vatican II include the Council’s exhortations on religious liberty, ecumenism, liturgical reforms, collegiality and what they call the ‘modernist’ idea that ‘that the human conscience is the supreme arbiter of good and evil for each individual.’ The society is an ardent defender of the Tridentine Mass (Fellay’s liturgical dress rivals any garb donned by Cardinal Raymond Burke) and believes passionately in the supremacy of the Roman Catholic church over all other religions …
“If Francis can offer a forty-minute, private meeting to a formerly excommunicated bishop who has been performing the sacraments illicitly for decades and who believes that the Catholic church is laced with false teachings, why can’t the pope also extend the same invitation to Catholic theologians, ethicists, and lay ministers who challenge the church’s teaching on women’s ordination, the use of contraception, and the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons?”
By Jamie Mason, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this column.
The Vatican’s #LifeofWomen video project: the bad, the ugly and the good / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful, Women in Catholic Church on January 7, 2015
On the fifth day of Christmas, the Vatican seemingly gave a gift to Catholic women across the world.
“No, it wasn’t five golden rings, but rather, the chance to make a one-minute video for the Pontifical Council for Culture.
“The Pontifical Council for Culture, which is one of the ‘dicasteries’ or departments of the Roman Curia, announced that its February assembly would be dedicated to the theme of ‘Women’s Cultures.’
“The Dicastery invited all Catholic women (or at least those who were paying attention to the Vatican website in the days after Christmas) to upload a brief video response to questions that seem better suited to an adolescent youth group: ‘Who are you?’ and ‘What do you think about your being a woman?’ and ‘What do you think about your strengths, your difficulties, your body, and your spiritual life?’”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this article.
Long Island bishop claims proposed bill penalizes ‘only the Catholic church’ / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on November 5, 2014
Bishop William Murphy of the diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., has written a letter to Catholics on Long Island advising them that a proposed bill in the New York State Assembly, called The Child Victims Act, ‘seeks to penalize only the Catholic Church for past crimes of child sex abuse must also be recognized for what it is’ …
“The Child Victims Act (which is also known as the ‘Markey Bill’ because it is sponsored by State Assemblyperson Margaret Markey) would serve to protect children by removing the statute of limitations for crimes of sexual abuse of children and minors. It would also open a one-year period for victims previously shut out by New York’s outdated statutes of limitations to bring forth charges in civil court.”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
What’s eating Catholic women? / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful, Women in the Church on September 4, 2014
Two years ago, when Cardinal Gerhard Müller criticized the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for promoting radical feminist themes, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith offered a stark reminder that feminism has no place in the Roman Catholic church.
“In his most recent interview in L’Osservatore Romano (the Vatican’s ‘semi-official’ newspaper), Müller further indicates that any suggestion of misogyny on the part of the hierarchy is a claim best answered with a punch line.
“Sadly, it’s a comedic lesson Müller likely learned from his boss, the pope …
“The time has come for the hierarchy to stop making jokes about gobbling up women and to start talking turkey about the ways in which the church’s structural sins exacerbate the suffering of women globally.”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this column.
Time to Face Facts: Pope Francis Agrees with the Doctrinal Assessment of LCWR / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clericalism, Pope Francis, Religious Women, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on May 14, 2014
On May 9, 2013, I wrote the following headline: “For LCWR, the more the papacy changes, the more it stays the same.”
“One year later, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, sadly, has confirmed my suspicions …
“Pope Francis and the women of LCWR share a deeply sacramental understanding of their calling to serve those on the margins of our world. They agree that it is in ministering to the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable that they touch the wounded body of Christ.
“Where they seem to disagree sharply, however, is in their understanding of religious life as a prophetic life form. When women religious touch the wounded body of Christ in their work, it breaks open their hearts in a way that compels them to ask deeper theological questions. It gives them the eyes to read the signs of the times and recognize the prophets in their midst. It gives them the courage ask bold new spiritual questions.”
By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this column.
Evangelizing the Institutional Church: An Interview with Helmut Schuller / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Voice of the Faithful on July 24, 2013
Much has been written about Austrian priest and reformer Helmut Schüller since he opened his 15-city U.S. tour, called “The Catholic Tipping Point,” in New York last week. Hours before Schüller’s July 16 debut in New York City, he and I sat down for an interview. Since many of the goals and ideas we discussed — such as the plan for an international meeting of priests, the new evangelization, his thoughts about Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s barring him from speaking, and the institutional church’s treatment of same-sex couples — have not made it into most of the media coverage of his speaking engagements, I am offering the text of our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity. By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter
Read Ms. Manson’s entire column by clicking here.
Fr. Helmut Schuller Begins U.S. Speaking Tour
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Voice of the Faithful on July 18, 2013
Voice of the Faithful® was the major sponsor of the first two stops, July 16 and 17, on reformist Austrian priest Fr. Helmut Schuller’s 15-city U.S. speaking tour this summer, “Catholic Tipping Point: Conversations with Fr. Helmut Schuller.” Here is are a couple of early news stories about his talk:
Fr. Helmut Schuller Kicks Off ‘Catholic Tipping Point’ Tour
Fr. Helmut Schüller should be on summer vacation right now. Instead, the Austrian priest, who gained international attention in 2011 for his “Call to Disobedience,” has chosen to spend his time off from parish ministry offering a presentation titled “The Catholic Tipping Point: Conversations” in 15 U.S. cities. The tour kicked off Tuesday night at Manhattan’s Judson Memorial Church, a historic community in Greenwich Village with affiliations to the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Church.” By Jamie Manson, National Catholic Reporter
Read Jamie Manson’s entire article by clicking here.
Priest Says Grouping Parishes Will Weaken Church
An Austrian priest who advocates ordination of women and married men, a position that led Boston church leaders to bar him from speaking at a local parish, said Wednesday that plans like the one Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley has put forward to group parishes and priests into clusters weaken the church rather than strengthen it. The Rev. Helmut Schuller, who has long been concerned about how power is concentrated at the top echelons of the church hierarchy, is organizing a major priests’ movement in Austria that grew out of priests’ opposition to parish closings and restructuring plans that require clergy to minister to multiple churches. He argues that expanding the priesthood is a better answer than clustering plans that spread priests too thin, undermining their relationships with parishioners. By Lisa Wangsness, The Boston Globe
Read Lisa Wangsness’ entire article by clicking here.
Hundreds Pack Unitarian Church to Hear Reformist Catholic Priest
Hundreds of people, most of them Catholic, turned out Wednesday night in Dedham to hear a Catholic priest — a reformist — from Austria. The Rev. Helmut Schuller was scheduled to speak at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, but was barred by Cardinal Sean O’Malley due to his positions on several issues which run contrary to official Catholic church doctrine. So the meeting was moved to a Unitarian church. By Fred Thys, WBUR-FM
Listen to Fred Thys’ entire story by clicking here.
Voice of the Faithful® and nine other Roman Catholic Church reform organizations have formed a coalition to support Fr. Schuller’s tour.
Voice of the Faithful
A lay movement for governance reform in the Roman Catholic Church, responding to the clergy sexual abuse scandal and supporting survivors.
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