8 Women Ordained as Priests Not Excommunicated
PRESS RELEASE August 4, 2006 8 WOMEN ORDAINED AS CATHOLIC PRIESTS HAVE NOT BEEN EXCOMMUNICATED On July 31, 2006, eight Roman Catholic women were ordained as priests in Pittsburgh. They were validly ordained by three consecrated female bishops. Whether or not U.S. bishops recognize these priests as validly ordained is not the point. What is very much to the point is the fact that bishops have incorrectly stated that the women who were ordained have excommunicated themselves from the Roman Catholic Church. Under the carefully crafted guidelines for excommunication, there needs to be a process for such action. There is no such thing as "self-excommunication,” although one could make an argument that if a person announces that he or she is leaving the Roman Catholic Church, an interpretation of self-excommunication is possible. However, in the case of the eight women ordained as priests on July 31, there were no announcements from these women that they were leaving Roman Catholici...