We, the undersigned, support Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who faces possible dismissal from the priesthood by his Maryknoll superiors for speaking out in support of women’s ordination in the Roman Catholic Church.
We applaud Fr. Bourgeois' dedication to justice, including justice for women in the Church. We echo his words, "I cannot possibly speak out about injustice in society and at the same time be silent about this injustice in my church.”
The Vatican's stance on ordination is based on arguments that have been refuted time and again. In 1976, the Vatican's own Pontifical Biblical Commission determined that there is no scriptural reason to prohibit women's ordination. Our Catholic tradition teaches that sexism is a sin and excluding women from the priesthood is sinful. We urge Maryknoll superiors to support Roy and the majority of faithful Catholics who yearn for women’s equality in the church. .
