Iowa bishop bans Mass at chapel where female 'priest' led services
August 26, 2015
Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, has revoked permission for the celebration of Mass at a Catholic Worker house, after a woman claiming to be a Catholic priest led services there.
Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a representative of Roman Catholic WomanPriests, presided at a ceremony in the Catholic Worker house last December. Bishop Pates took disciplinary action against the group after consulting the presbyteral council of his diocese, which gave his move unanimous approval.
The bishop’s decision was conveyed to the Catholic Worker house in May; the diocese made it public in August.
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Posted by: feedback -
Aug. 26, 2015 11:25 PM ET USA
wsfinkeva4309, you ask a very insightful question in your comment. Most likely the Bishop expected some media backlash after his decision, and so he cautiously decided to reinforce it with a publicized "unanimous approval" of his council. Canonically he did not need that at all. I wish our Bishops were a little more courageous. How can Bishops properly function as shepherds while being afraid of the wolves, or pretending that wolves don't threaten the integrity of the Church?
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Posted by: ElizabethD -
Aug. 26, 2015 9:27 PM ET USA
I would suspect that the reason a bishop might consult with his presbyteral council about this is a. to ensure cooperation of priests (since the substance of the directive is that priests are forbidden to say Mass at that location), and even moreso b. so that the unanimity of the presbyteral council (ie real priests) can be part of the media message about this.
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Posted by: wsfinkeva4309 -
Aug. 26, 2015 8:05 PM ET USA
I know I'm kind of ignorant about how the whole hierarchy thing works, but why does a Bishop have to consult with ANYONE about a blatant disobedience to the Magisterium teachings i.e. female priests?
