Womenpriests and Abp. Burke

Sometimes you encounter an article that you just can't pass up.

St. Louis, Nov. 8, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has warned two local women that they face excommunication if they go through with plans for a Sunday ceremony at which they will claim to be ordained as priests.

The archbishop sent personal letters by courier to Rose Marie Dunn Hudson and Elsie Hainz McGrath, reminding them that they would incur the "censure of excommunication" if they participated in the ceremony, which is being held at a Jewish synagogue under the auspices of the "Womenpriests" organization.

I'm glad we're still excommunicating women who try to be ordained. After the first round of excommunications, we just started letting them be, which is troublesome, and sends the wrong message to the Church. Bravo, Archbishop Burke.

Archbishop Burke noted that the fraudulent "ordination" ceremony, held in direct violation of Church teaching and authority, would constitute an "act of schism." He warned the women that additional penalties could be used against them, along with the excommunication that would be automatically imposed.

McGrath told an AP reporter that she would ignore the archbishop's warning, which she characterized as a "form of intimidation."

Two interesting points, first of all, what will be these additional penalties. In a sense, I hope they go through with the "ordination" just so I can see what Burke has up his sleeves. Second, how is this intimidation, this is really just a final warning before the canonical excommunication, the "turn back now" sign. The excommunication will happen. I just can't see what part of "and this is to be held by all christian faithful" people don't understand.

Interestingly enough, they couldn't find any Catholic space to have the "ordination" "mass", and so some reform Jews stepped in. Abp. Burke is understandably upset, and he appealed to the Jewish community to change their mind. (From the Curt Jester)