Supporter Of Female Priests To Speak In Pittsburgh

July 22, 2011 4:33 PM

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PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) — Father Roy Bourgeois, a priest in Columbus, Ga., is talking about some controversial issues involving the Church.

After preaching at an ordination Mass for a woman several years ago, he was excommunicated.

“I must say the reaction was very harsh, was very severe and was very swift,” he said.

Father Bourgeois told KDKA Radio’s Mike Pintek he has no regrets.

“I have to ask the basic question, ‘Why wouldn’t women be called to the priesthood?’

“As Catholics, we all profess that God created men and women of equal dignity. All of us priests – every priest, including the Pope, bishops, cardinals, we all say the same thing that the call to the priesthood is a gift that comes from God.

“So I have to ask that basic question, ‘Who are we to reject God’s call of women to the priesthood? Who are we as men to say that our call to the priesthood is authentic, but God’s call of women is not?’”

Father Bourgeois calls the rule a “grave injustice” against women, the Church and God.

He will be speaking at an event starting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, July 24 at the Grand Hall at the Priory, located at 614 Pressley Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. The event is open to the public.

Listen to his full interview with KDKA Radio’s Mike Pintek:

Don Orkoskey

While this is the first that I’ve heard of this man I have to say that I don’t believe that the Church excommunicated him – they excommunicated themselves from this man and from God.

I left the Catholic Church a long time ago because even as a child of 11 I could tell that their focus was maintaining the organization over spreading the teachings of Christ. I explored a long list of world religions and I found the same thing the world over – organization that claims to stem from divine rite is all too often focused on maintaining their control of the message in order to maintain relevance and assert control over those who trust in them.

Organizations like the Catholic Church are full of amazing people with beautiful views of the world but they are mired in bureaucratic trappings that diminishes and tarnishes those that are closest to the Church leaders. Their fear of loosing meaning in the teachings of Christ keeps them from truly knowing Him and truly spreading his message and that is why they’ve not removed this man’s right to know God or his expectation that he will reach the heaven that he believes awaits him after death but they have in fact done so to themselves.
Bridget Wilson

Fr. Roy is a prophet who truly speaks the word of God is not afraid to speak out. If power and control were not so important, this issue would at least be available for dialogue. Even publicly speaking of women’s ordination is grounds for so called excommunication. THAT my friends, would never be the will of God.