FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2007

CONTACT: Aisha Taylor, 703 352-1006, ataylor@womensordination.org

En Español

Catholics in Latin America Join Call for Women Priests on World Day of Prayer for Women's Ordination

Washington, D.C. – On March 25, an unprecedented number of Latin American Catholics called for women to be priests and for renewal of the Roman Catholic Church. The call was in celebration of the 14th annual World Day of Prayer for Women’s Ordination, which had the largest number of participating countries ever. Every year on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholics join in global action to bring attention to the fact that Catholic women are banned from being priests. This year, there were a total of 20 events in the USA, including Puerto Rico, and 26 international events in Peru, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, South Africa, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.

“The dramatic increase in participation of Latin American countries, in addition to the events in South Africa, North America and Europe, is a testament to the fact that Catholics around the world support women’s call to spiritual leadership and ordination,” stated Aisha Taylor, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference (WOC), the world’s oldest and largest national organization working solely for women’s ordination in an inclusive Catholic Church. “The call for women to be priests is a call for our church to follow Jesus’ example, who told all his followers they would ‘receive the power’ of the Holy Spirit and ‘be (Jesus') witnesses to the ends of the earth,’ as stated in Acts 1:8.”

“Mother Mary has a profound meaning in the hearts of Hispanic Catholics. As a loving and compassionate mediator, Our Lady of the Americas represents the female image of God,” stated Nidza Vazquez, program director of WOC.

“Mary’s ‘yes’ to God made her an active partner in God’s plan for the world. As we prayed for women to be priests on the World Day of Prayer for Women’s Ordination, we embraced our church’s tradition of strong female leadership and acknowledged the difference female priests in a renewed priestly ministry would make in addressing social justice issues in church and society,” Taylor concluded.

International events included prayer services, public demonstrations, and presentations about women’s ordination and structural change in the church. In the USA, the theme was “Opening Hearts, Creating Justice, ” and WOC provided community organizers across the country resources to plan their events.

WOC represents the majority of U.S. Catholics who support women’s ordination. A 2006 National Catholic Reporter survey of U.S. Catholics found that 62% of respondents support ordaining women as priests, and 81% support ordaining women as deacons. An Associated Press/Ipsos poll conducted in April 2005 found that 64% of U.S. Catholics support women’s ordination.

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Founded in 1975, the Women’s Ordination Conference works for justice and equality in all dimensions of life and ministry in the Catholic Church, including women’s ordination to an inclusive priestly ministry. To view the list of events for the world day of prayer, visit www.womensordination.org.