Delaware Liberal is somewhat known for its anti-Catholic rhetoric, so let’s rejoice for a moment for a Catholic priest liberals can admire, Reverend Father Roy Bourgeois. “What’s so special about him?” Donviti asks.
Immediately what comes to mind is that he is about to be excommunicated from the Church because not only does he believe that women should become priests, he had the audacity to attend the ordination for Janice Sevre-Duszynska as well as deliver the homily. (That’s two links to National Catholic Reporter in one DL post, not that we are counting.)
Women in our Church are telling us that God is calling them to the priesthood. Who are we, as men, to say to women, “Our call is valid, but yours is not.” Who are we to tamper with God’s call?
Sexism, like racism, is a sin. And no matter how hard or how long we may try to justify discrimination, in the end, it is always immoral.
But Father Bourgeois’ priesthood has always been activism for people whose voices are not heard. Bourgeois is a member of the Maryknoll Order which is known for its work among the poor in Latin America as well as their mission to bring positive change to the lives of the poor.
One of Bourgeios’ biggest contributions to the world of peace is his organizaiton of School of Americas Watch or SOAW. Currently, thousands of people are atFort Benning, Georgia to hold a three-day vigil at the School of Americas or, as it is now known, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation or WHINSEC. No matter what you call it, WHINSEC or School of Americas, this US institution has had an embarrassing history of training death squads and murderers under the cloak of the military. Hopefully, one of President Obama’s future acts will be to shut down this school.
In his letter to the Vatican regarding the ordination of women to the priesthood, Bourgeios writes:
Conscience is very sacred. Conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong and urges us to do the right thing. Conscience is what compelled Franz Jagerstatter, a humble Austrian farmer, husband and father of four young children, to refuse to join Hitler’s army, which led to his execution. Conscience is what compelled Rosa Parks to say she could no longer sit in the back of the bus. Conscience is what compels women in our Church to say they cannot be silent and deny their call from God to the priesthood. Conscience is what compelled my dear mother and father, now 95, to always strive to do the right things as faithful Catholics raising four children. And after much prayer, reflection and discernment, it is my conscience that compels me to do the right thing. I cannot recant my belief and public statements that support the ordination of women in our Church.
And Bourgeois does not bury his head in the sand regarding the horrible abuse of children within the Church as well as the silence among the many priests and bishops who looked the other way.
According to USA TODAY (Feb. 28, 2008) in the United States alone, nearly 5,000 Catholic priests have sexually abused more than 12,000 children. Many bishops, aware of the abuse, remained silent. These priests and bishops were not excommunicated. Yet the women in our Church who are called by God and are ordained to serve God’s people, and the priests and bishops who support them, are excommunicated.
Silence is the voice of complicity. Therefore, I call on all Catholics, fellow priests, bishops, Pope Benedict XVI and all Church leaders at the Vatican, to speak loudly on this grave injustice of excluding women from the priesthood.
Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was assassinated because of his defense of the oppressed. He said, “Let those who have a voice, speak out for the voiceless.”
I leave you with this one thought. If more small “c” christians acted as Bourgeois, the world would be a better place.