World Media Watch
Swiss Theologian, 2 Others ‘Ordained’ Priests
SWISSINFO, June 24 — Swiss theologian Monika Wyss and two other women incurred automatic excommunication by allowing themselves to be “ordained” priests, SwissInfo reported.
The ceremony was organized by the West European Roman
Catholic Womenpriests organization, and took place
June 24 on board a passenger ship on
However, Pope John Paul II, in his 1994 apostolic letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone), wrote: “The fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe.”
He concluded, “I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”
Historian:
CHICAGO TRIBUNE, June 27 — Although 88% of Frenchmen identify themselves as Catholic, only about 5% attend Mass on Sunday and 60% said they never or practically never go, the Tribune reported.
In
However, there are signs of hope. Recently, the European
Union constitution, stripped of all Christian references, was emphatically
rejected by French voters. Bruno Bourg-Broc, a deputy
in the National Assembly and self-described committed Catholic, regrets the
erosion of the faith in
But, he said, “We are a fundamentally Christian society. The landscape is formed of churches. It’s part of our culture, our literature and painting. Whether people want it [in the constitution] or not, we were formed in this way and should not be ashamed of it. The doctrine of Islam is to conquer and convert, and we must keep this in mind. I don’t think there is a real risk here, but if it happens, it will be our own fault.”
… Though
VOICE OF AMERICA, June 26 — For nearly
150 years, millions of Christian pilgrims from Europe and elsewhere have
flocked to
Church attendance may be plummeting in Europe, but
“There’s a very deep spirituality here,” Father Rice said.
“A lot of people associate
In fact, many pilgrims who come to
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- July 9-15, 2006