To Fr. Martin Fox's question about his uncritical use of "Catholic priest..."
Q Dear Mr. Colimore: About your story on the woman, claiming to be a Catholic priest, having her first "Mass." I don't want to beat you up; I assume you're trying to be fair in this. But I'd ask you to appreciate that the validity of her ordination is akin to someone, showing up in the United States, claiming to be ambassador from Britain -- only that's not what the Foreign Office in London says. For that matter, it is akin to someone claiming to be a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter; only the Philadelphia Inquirer says otherwise. How can someone be a priest in the Catholic Church when the Catholic Church says otherwise? I assume you're not a Catholic priest -- can you say you are, because you and some friends got together, and they ordained you? Again, I think you're trying to be fair -- but a little more clarity would be helpful.
A Eileen DiFranco's Old Catholic Church of the Beatitudes in Lansdowne, Pa. is not under the auspices of Rome but conducts itself largely as a Catholic Church - using the same sacraments, confession, liturgy, etc. The members of the church consider themselves Catholics though they are not Roman Catholics under Vatican authority. As I said in the story, dioceses across the country - including the Philadelphia Archdiocese - don't recognize the ordination of women and church law only allows men to be ordained. I don't think the Roman Catholic Church feels threatened by DiFranco's group but is undoubtedly disappointed by its stand on the ordination of women.
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