Suspended Irish priest rips 'ridiculous' argument against women's ordination
June 02, 2016
A suspended Irish priest has assailed the "ridiculous" argument that women cannot be ordained to the priesthood, in his latest act of defiance against Church authority.
Speaking at the Women's Ordination Worldwide conference in Rome, Father Tony Flannery said that the Church's teaching on the male-only priesthood "belongs to the time of the flat earth, when Galileo was persecuted."
The dissident priest said that in his native Ireland, most people simply take it for granted that the Church should ordain women-- altough he also said that Ireland today "is no longer a Catholic country." He explaiend: "Young Irish people will tell you that this Church is medieval in its thinking; they simply don't care."
In 2012, after an investigation of Father Flannery's written work, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ordered the priest to sign a statement affirming his belief in the teachings of the Church. He refused. His Redemptorist superiors said that although they regretted Father Flannery's defiance, they would not take disciplinary action.
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Further information:
- Priest claims Irish Catholic Church ‘beyond point of redemption’ (Irish Times)
- Redemptorist superior rues actions of Irish dissident priest (CWN, 1/24/13)
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Posted by: Gil125 -
Jun. 03, 2016 4:03 PM ET USA
Let me see. Do I get my religion from the erstwhile Rev. Tony or from St. John Paul? Cf. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, May 22, 1994.
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Posted by: Travelling -
Jun. 02, 2016 6:32 PM ET USA
Why won't s superiors take disciplinary action?? He is causing great scandal.
