PRESS RELEASE ON MARY MAGDALENE

I put the following press release out on the wire service today, and thought I would post it to my blog as well.

CORPUS MEDIA LIAISON AVAILABLE FOR TV & RADIO INTERVIEWS TO DISCUSS MARY MAGDALENECORPUS

www.corpus.org
Contact: Ray Grosswirth, CORPUS Media Liaison, rgrosswirth@corpus.org

With the release of the movie version of 'The Da Vinci Code' on May 19, it is reasonable to assume there will be general interest in the relationship that existed between Mary Magdalene and Jesus. While very little historical data exists that supports events depicted in Dan Brown's book, he does correctly draw upon recent scholarship that clears the bad reputation Mary Magdalene was stuck with for over one-thousand years.

Whether or not Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene is a matter of conjecture, since this theory cannot be proven one way or another historically. Yet, a valid argument for Jesus being married is his Biblical title of 'rabbi.' (During the first century, this title would have only been given to a married Jewish man.)

CORPUS, the national organization for an inclusive priesthood, continues to work tirelessly toward the day when all called to Roman Catholic priesthood will be recognized, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or marital status. Furthermore, CORPUS recognizes the second-class status women have endured in the Catholic Church for many centuries, due in large part to incorrect Scriptural interpretation.

In 591, Pope Gregory I incorrectly identified the woman sinner in Luke 7:36-50 as Mary Magdalene. Sadly, her tarnished reputation remained unchanged until a Vatican II proclamation in 1969 absolved her of Pope Gregory's grievous error.Whether or not Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene is not the important point. Most important is the fact that Mary Magdalene has been redeemed as a result of the serious scholarship of the past several decades.

Ray Grosswirth, CORPUS Media Liaison, is making himself available to television and radio stations in the weeks leading to the release of Ron Howard's film, 'The Davinci Code.' Ray has an M.A. in Theology and an M.Div (Master of Divinity). As a representative of CORPUS, he continues to advocate for inclusivity in the priesthood, at a time when access to the Eucharist is being jeopardized.

At the very least, CORPUS hopes that a positive aspect of 'The Da Vinci Code' will be a reawakening of serious scholarship into the important role played by women during the Biblical period. Our church of the 21st century can only hope to emulate the vision of Jesus when it recognizes the fact that priesthood cannot be restricted to celibate males. It is time for change!

Provided via: http://www.i-newswire.com