Tony Flannery

The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith’s current strategy of censuring priests and religious is out of step with church teaching and has been roundly criticized as “ridiculous and self-defeating” by an Irish priest who fell afoul of the Vatican in 2011.
Speaking for the first time publicly about his experience, Redemptorist Fr. Gerry Moloney warned that “imposing sanctions on people does not make them change their views.”

He was one of 15 signatories to the recent letter to Pope Francis and the CDF calling for reform of the Vatican’s investigation processes and for greater accountability and transparency in its methods which were deemed “medieval,” lacking in basic politeness and designed to wear those being investigated down.

The efforts made by the Vatican to silence discussion on the ordination of women over the past 50 years have been both unsuccessful and unwise. In 1975, Pope Paul VI declared that the Catholic Church “does not consider herself authorised to admit women to ordination”.
This was followed a year later by a document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which stated that the priest is a sign, and for that sign to be perceptible, “a natural resemblance” to Christ is required.

I have just finished reading Tom Roberts biography of Joan Chittister. I put together this reflection as a result of what I read. With acknowledgement to Tom Roberts wonderful book, about a remarkable woman:

Reading Tom Roberts biography of Joan Chittister, and in particular the account of her dealings with the Vatican, stirred up a lot of memories and emotions for me.
Joan had been invited by Myra Poole to speak at a conference on women’s ordination to be held in Dublin in 2001.