TORONTO, July 29, 2010 – As we mentioned in a membership message July 16, The Vatican recently released updated guidelines on the handling of several issues in Church governance, including improvements to the management of allegations of the sexual abuse of minors. Because the wide-ranging document discussed the integrity of the sacraments, it also reiterated the penalties and sanctions for the attempted ordination of women. (Here are links to a detailed report from Catholic World News, and interviews by Charles Lewis, religion editor of the National Post representing two viewpoints.)
While some twinning of the two topics in the public mind is understandable, given their appearance in a single document, some of the media lost no time in helping to create the impression that the Church considers sexual abuse and the ordination of women to be of equal gravity in a general sense, rather than in the strictly-defined sense of sacramental integrity. We are presently supporting several members’ complaints to CBC about some regional coverage July 16 that included no spokesperson who supported Church teaching on the topic of ordination. We also contacted Radio 102.1 in Toronto to protest some obscene language about the Pope concerning this news. Joanne McGarry, League executive director, was featured July 20 on CHCH News channel in discussion with Marie Bouclin, who considers herself an ordained Catholic priest.