Vatican punishes Wisconsin priest for saying Mass with female priest

[n2doc]

A 76-year-old Wisconsin priest and peace activist has been ordered by the Vatican to spend the rest of his life in prayer and penance for concelebrating the Catholic Mass with a female priest in 2011.

Father Jerry Zawada had been previously sanctioned by his religious order, the Franciscan Friars Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province in Franklin, for the November 2011 incident, pending Vatican review.

The Vatican order, issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith this month, strips Zawada of his right to function publicly as a priest, and orders him to spend his life in prayer and penance at the order's friary in Burlington.

"I don't mind the prayer part," Zawada told the National Catholic Reporter this week. "But ... when they say that I need to be spending time in penance, well, I'm not going to do penance for my convictions and the convictions of so many others, too."



Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/religion/vatican-punishes-wisconsin-priest-for-saying-mass-with-female-priest-b99235591z1-252965231.html

[Scuba]

1. Rationale: Girls are icky.

[Joe Magarac]

2. Do you think there will ever be women priests officially recognized? n/t

[hrmjustin]

3. Yes but not for at least another 25 to 50 years.

[TommyCelt]

4. I SINCERELY hope so...

...but I'm not counting on it anytime in the near future (which for the Church is at least 100 years). Pope John Paul II's Ordinatio Sacerdotalis would be extremely difficult for any subsequent pontiff to walk back, especially in light of JPII's pending canonization:

...Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of Our ministry of confirming the brethren.[3] We 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.

This pronouncement does NOT make mention of women being ordained as deacons, which I think is a far greater possibility, along with married priests which is happening and has precedence. It would be a start, anyway.

[goldent]

5. I agree with you and hrmjustin in that it will be a long time

However, the Vatican has great wordsmiths, and I have 100% confidence that when the time comes, they will be able to wiggle out of all previous statements.