41 Comments

• snakehips | Nov 28, 2012, 04:36 PM EST

  This idiots, You read that Ireland is abonding religion faster than any other country on earth and these morons are carrying on about how there will never be female priests. Hey dip sticks how about no more priests at the rate you are going?

• Gearoid4 | Nov 14, 2012, 01:47 PM EST

  Where is the proof, pilibox04, that the "bishop" in Germany who ordained these so-called woman "priests" was a consecrated bishop of the Catholic Church? He may be a "bishop" from a "church" which has the word "catholic" in it's title, but is clearly not the true, apostolic Church, as founded by Christ.

• rugbyplayer | Nov 14, 2012, 12:48 PM EST

  Brown, a nice enough guy, is just another Vatican hackj who would never dare to even speculate anything that the Vatican considers de fide dogma.

• pilib04 | Nov 14, 2012, 11:32 AM EST

  The WomenPriests were originally ordained by a duly ordained Catholic Bishop in Germany. They have a direct line of succession to Peter as much as any Manpriest.

• PiperMac52 | Nov 13, 2012, 09:49 PM EST

  If there were Female priests it would no longer be the Catholic church. This is set doctrine dating 2000 years and is immutable. Christ chose 12 make Apostles. The church is Apostolic and modeled on Christ's teachings both through scared tradition and Sacred Scripture as established by the teaching Magesterium.It is not open to political correctness, or cultural relativism. Sin can never be called good(as liberals would have it). The church holds to absolute truths which may not be popular in a given culture.

• eiriamach | Nov 13, 2012, 08:54 PM EST

  I was reminded by visiting these two WomenPriest web sites that the papyrus fragment recently in the news, in which Jesus refers to his "wife," also quotes Jesus as saying "she will be able to be my disciple." The Vatican rejected it as a "forgery" (though scholars agree that it is not forged) because it challenges two persistent Vatican positions: that priests must be celibate because Jesus was, and that women must not be priests because his disciples were all male. What does it take to open minds at the Vatican or at least persuade them not to issue peremptory, unsubstantiated claims of "forgery"? It's always a mistake to refuse to re-examine past decisions, to refuse to reverse them if they've done harm, and, most importantly, to refuse to benefit from the grace that pours from the Spirit of Wisdom when we repent our mistakes. The authoritarian mind always takes the same path: it insists it is right and demands obedience until it's too late to avoid tragedy.

• KatieKazoo | Nov 13, 2012, 08:31 PM EST

  It got me thinking when I looked at this particular statement in the article: "it was about being “obedient and faithful to the continual tradition of the Catholic faith." So what about Vatican 11 and the changes brought in with that? What I can't fathom is this: how is acceptable change defined. How can this change be alright, but another be a big no-no? Here in Ireland we brought in Alter Girls, shock horror!! Nuns don't have their hair covered any more, they wear makeup, jewelry and normal clothes, high heel boots etc. The words of the Gloria, the Nicene Creed have been changed, utterly changed. During Mass we say things now like: I am not worthy you should enter under my roof, instead of I am not worthy to receive you. In fact, I recently went to an Anglican ceremony and grumpily admit I was surer of the words of their unchanged Creed and many other prayers, than I am still stumbling to get my 'new words' right in my own church. I would much rather have left the wording of the Mass, especially the Nicene creed, the way they were and instead bring in the change of having women priests. Are females not well capable of administering faith, living a holy life? they can't do any worse than the boyohs abusing children while looking down their noses at working class people. How they could have this mantle of piety and arrogant claim to religion is actually astounding. They were world class actors, demons disguised as saints. Surely it is more important that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit than which gender they are? There was and still is a lot in the Catholic church that was not "about being “obedient and faithful to the continual tradition of the Catholic faith."

• eiriamach | Nov 13, 2012, 08:19 PM EST

  Also, to learn about the thinking and activities of Roman Catholic Women Priests within Catholicism, be sure to check out bridgetmarys.blogspot.com .

• eiriamach | Nov 13, 2012, 07:47 PM EST

  Go to romancatholicwomenpriests. org, Gearoid. Also enlightening is the NY Times Sept. 29 article "Women as Priests," which notes that a 2010 CBS/NY Times poll showed "59 percent of American Catholics favor the ordination of women." "The movement started when seven women were ordained by three Roman Catholic bishops aboard a ship on the Danube River in 2002. The women claimed their ordinations were valid because they conformed to the doctrine of 'apostolic succession.' The group that grew out of that occasion calls itself Roman Catholic Womenpriests. There are now more than 100 ordained women priests and 11 bishops."

• Gearoid4 | Nov 13, 2012, 06:36 PM EST

  Where are these validly ordained women "priests" who have been given holy orders by the successors of the apostles, Eiriamach? Again, typically, you would bring up the clerical sex-abuse scandal which is not germane to this debate.

• oldboreen | Nov 13, 2012, 06:03 PM EST

  There are on 'ordained women Catholic priests' Irish or otherwise period!

• oldboreen | Nov 13, 2012, 05:58 PM EST

  Correct me if I'm mistaken someone but it was never church 'teaching'. tradition yes, but never doctrine

• oldboreen | Nov 13, 2012, 05:38 PM EST

  Times they are a changin'. The RCC better look to the future or their sheep will be primarily in S. America, Africa and Asia cuz Europe and N. America are eyeing intently a 21st Century Catholic Reformation!: Marriage for all clergy that want it; Communion of all Christians; Women priests; transparent authority from Rome on down!!!!!!!!

• Murph46 | Nov 13, 2012, 05:03 PM EST

  How does that song go - "Charlie Brown,he's a clown...."

• seanomelb | Nov 13, 2012, 04:49 PM EST

  Brown would not be papal nuncio unless he slavishly follows the party line.Maybe the next pope will see it differently

• eiriamach | Nov 13, 2012, 04:03 PM EST

  Thanks, Gearoid4, for that flash from the past. It's been 30 years or thereabouts since I've heard anyone offer the "precious differences" argument as a reason to refuse equal treatment to women. As Americans, we've known since 1954 that "different" and "separate" even when it's claimed to be "complementary" or "equal," is never in practice equal. And of course there are validly ordained, in the line of apostolic succession, women priests. Despite canon law ignoring their existence and RC refusing them employment, they are priests "forever" with the same ministerial capacities as any male priest (except that no woman priest has been accused of predatory sexual abuse of children).

• WoundedKnee | Nov 13, 2012, 03:27 PM EST

  I see the usual pack of fundamentalist bigots and Know Nothings are out in force on this topic--posters portia, murph etc. The Irish Church has survived "dungeon, fire and sword", torture, dispossesions, exile, hangings and half-hangings, pitch caps and castrations. I'd put my money on it surviving a few ignorant bigots and Protestant Bible Bums. The greatest enemies of the Church are not the bigoted clowns who post here, but rather a cowardly hierarchy and useless leadership. But we'll survive.

• WoundedKnee | Nov 13, 2012, 03:18 PM EST

  glengesh: "I will not be crossing the door of any Catholic Church". Is that a promise?

• WoundedKnee | Nov 13, 2012, 03:16 PM EST

  pilib04: What part of Disney World are you posting from? There are NO "ordained Roman Catholic Women Priests". You're living in some kind of sick fantasy.

• PhlutiePhan | Nov 13, 2012, 03:08 PM EST

  As a faithful Irish Catholic supporter of the Pope, you have to be naive not to see the implications of what is going on in the United States. Cardinal Dolan is living in a dream world isolated at the top by the liberals working with the Catholic radical women in the Obama Administration. It is going to happen whether given the okay by Benedict or by the devil at 1600.

• jane thomas | Nov 13, 2012, 03:04 PM EST

  If this young priest believes (and I stress "young" because that alone pretty much signals that it's not just about what "old white guys" think) that there should never be female priests in the Catholic Church, then, if Catholic women had enough chutzpah, they would get up and leave the church altogether until these guys re-think their stand. Period. That ought to get the male priests' attention.

• The Commentator | Nov 13, 2012, 02:59 PM EST

  I believe the insecure hierarchy of the Roman catholic Church are afraid of women. Their only sense of power comes when they rape little boys. The sooner the Catholic parishioners break away from Rome the better. It is time for a Catholic reformation to modernize the church. Marriage, women priests, and increased power of the nuns should be a priority. The sooner women are in positions of power in the church, the sooner the pedophile priests will be exposed, prosecuted and re moved from the church. It is the parishioners who must make this happen. NOW IS THE TIME !!!

• MOTOPAC | Nov 13, 2012, 02:31 PM EST

  I was raised a Catholic and I still consider myself Catholic, but over time I found that we are being told more lies than truths, and being told not question our "faith" and to simply "obey". Well, if your religion doesn't stand up to questioning and scrutiny, then it is useless, and possibly evil.

• Gearoid4 | Nov 13, 2012, 01:53 PM EST

  The Catholic priesthood is based birmly on the personhood of Christ and it was restricted to males only from the time of the apostolic succession. The late, great pope John Paul 11 re-affirmed this apostolic tradition in his letter "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis" and that this teaching has to be definitely held by the faithful. The Eastern Orthodox churches also have held onto this teaching and it has been faithfully adhered by the Church universal for 2000 years. This is not to discriminate against women as the Catholic Church has consistently lauded and defended the role of women. The respective roles of men and women within the Church are different but complementary to eachother. @Pilibo4, there are no ordained women "priests" in the Catholic priesthood, as such ordinations are canonically null and void.

• RichardP | Nov 13, 2012, 01:42 PM EST

  The first 'Protestants' were Catholic. The Reformation was started by Catholics so there is no real reason to try and reform this body of Intransigents as it has already been done. Go and pick a team you want to play for because the management of this team is not for changing. There are those who will believe in the rectitude and sanctity of the P apacy no matter what; they will keep the RCC in existence ad infinitum in its current form and structure.

• pilib04 | Nov 13, 2012, 01:18 PM EST

  A good number of the ordained Roman Catholic Women Priests are of Irish descent.

• irishrose524 | Nov 13, 2012, 01:14 PM EST

  One. That guy needs to admit and accept he's gay. Two. May he burn in the firey pits of Catholic hell for a very long time. Having a penis or a uterus should not be a determining factor in if someone can be a priest or not :-/ What is this, the stone age?

• eiriamach | Nov 13, 2012, 12:02 PM EST

  I'm applauding glengesh, and other sensible commenters here!

• phinsman | Nov 13, 2012, 11:56 AM EST

  There have been women in the US ordained as priests in the Catholic Church, from what I have read in the news. The Vatican so archaic and sexist... gotta get rid of it.

• nivekronnoco | Nov 13, 2012, 11:29 AM EST

  We've got enough predatory pedophiles to fill a cathedral...and I sure don't recall a precedant in Jesus's teachings for their eligibility..(Suffer the children?) but no room for a single woman priest? When Mary Magdaline was his most favored follower?...and Mary his Mother Most honored among all mortals? So to put too fine a point on it...She was fit enough to be the Mother of the Most perfect Christ...But not to robe up and hear confessions at St Pat's in New York? Moron.

• glengesh | Nov 13, 2012, 11:29 AM EST

  There will be women priests, highly likely in my lifetime. They will come and save genuine christianity in Ireland. Untill then I will not be crossing the door of any Catholic Church. I'm tired of these men although a man myself. Ireland has been saved by women before and we have an abundance of strong courageous women , wait ! now I know why they don't want women priests.

• mayoman | Nov 13, 2012, 11:02 AM EST

  This bold refusal to ordain woman has less to do with meaningful "tradition", and everything to do with Papal intransigence. The men in the Vatican know that the moment women are allowed an equal role in Holy Mother Church that's the moment when absolute power begins to slip from the boys's hands. But no matter how stubborn the boys are, the day will eventually come when women will be priests, and everyone will wonder what all the angst and fuss was about.

• DrMcHugh | Nov 13, 2012, 10:52 AM EST

  This Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charlie Brown has been indoctrinated into the belief that there can never be women priests in the Catholic Church. I hope he lives to see the day when there are women priests in the Catholic Church. Jesus treated women as equals, and traditions change. Sincerely, Dr Rosemary Eileen McHugh, Chicago, Illinois

• susan724 | Nov 13, 2012, 10:26 AM EST

  Too too bad, then the church wonders why it has lost, and continues to lose so any members. Won has to wonder why the Catholic church finds women so aberrant- so second class. They certainly didn't when it came to the Blessed VIRGIN Mary. Ahhhhhh, that must be it, you have to be a virgin, and we know that not all priests are "virgins."

• CitizenWhy | Nov 13, 2012, 10:03 AM EST

  Do not encourage women priests because they will rescue this institution from shrinking and possibly disappearing due to a shortage of priests. Fortunately the Pope, like the king of Assyria, can never admit he and his church are wrong, confining the institution over whom he is the absolute monarch to policies that diminish its influence.

• Portia777 | Nov 13, 2012, 09:56 AM EST

  Send the wee boy home, till he grows up and stops wearing women's clothes

• Portia777 | Nov 13, 2012, 09:54 AM EST

  No woman in her right mind would want to a priest in the Roman Cult. Wombmen are fe male - already whole/holy

• Murph46 | Nov 13, 2012, 09:42 AM EST

  It will come to pass as most of the current priests end up in prison for being pedophiles!

• eiriamach | Nov 13, 2012, 09:40 AM EST

  His 'reasoning' (a charitable description) is that "tradition" leaves no choice. Lovers of "tradition" would own slaves if lawmakers who value human dignity had not finally outlawed slavery-- a tradition from ancient to modern times. Wars were fought to defend it, and the bible cited to justify it--"choices"! Is it progress that churchmen no longer say that women are too infantile, dependent, and irrational to be priests, which was for centuries their argument? Now their 'reasoning' is "We've always done it this way," which means "Don't ask us to change," which means "We won't even deal with the question." Fluff and nonsense!

• JoeCogan | Nov 13, 2012, 08:29 AM EST

  Archbishop Charlie Brown - what a perfect name for a blockhead!

• Jacob | Nov 13, 2012, 07:20 AM EST

  Maybe the Irish will found their own church and tell Rome to get stuffed. I suggest they call it the 'Church of Ireland.'