My Papal dedication pledges that I will make the Ordination of Women a central aim of my Papacy. At this stage I should declare a vested interest. Someone once wrote that when you have a child you give consent to the agony of watching your Heart walk around outside of your body. The Heart that walks outside of my body is now 15 and though I have nurtured her in the Faith of the Catholic Church throughout her whole life she recently declared that she no longer feels able to be a part of my Church. I did feel an acute sense of agony at the time …… the agony of watching my Heart unable to walk alongside me on the Path to God through Jesus Christ. I wanted to try and reason with her but she is as bright as the star that once guided 3 Kings to a small stable in Bethlehem and I knew that she had a strong foundation for her informed decision to leave the Roman Catholic Church. The scale of clerical abuse of innocent minors , the un Christ like treatment of our Sisters and Brothers in the LGBTQ+ community, the denial of the Church Hierarchy to embrace married priests whilst simultaneously promoting divisive Clericalism , elitism and privilege have all motivated her to turn away from the Church of Rome. Above all, as a strong advocate of Women’s rights , Equality and Justice for all , she cannot reconcile the mysoginist attitude of a privileged and elite (and increasingly out of touch) minority of men who deny women the God given right to Ordination. For my part I have committed the rest of my life to achieving my papal pledge : ” I will dedicate my Papacy to Peace, to overcoming poverty and injustice to continuing the reforms of my beloved Pope Francis, to the cause of women’s ordination and to the ordination of those of our Sisters and Brothers who are married, to the prevention of clerical abuse , to enabling full participation in the Church for our LGBTQ+ family and to caring for our common home but above all I will dedicate my Papacy to the Love of God and the Love of one another”

I do so in the Hope that my Heart will one day look upon a Church that reflects the Truth and Beauty that Jesus sacrificed Himself for and at that point we will walk together, hand in hand, to receive the Blessed Eucharist from one of thousands of wonderful women who have been ordained within a Christ centred Roman Catholic Church.

“The hour comes, the hour has come, in which the vocation of the woman is completed in fullness, the hour in which the woman acquires in society an influence, an irradiation, a power never before reached. It is for this reason, at this moment in which humanity is experiencing such a profound transformation, that women imbued with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to help humanity not to decay” Saint Paul VI

Please take time to read this inspiring account of pioneering women priests especially their constitution below which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful ever written.

The Roman Catholic Women priests movement is an initiative within the Church that began in Germany with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River in 2002.

In 2003, Gisela Forster and Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger (two of the original Danube 7) were ordained bishops and in 2005 Patricia Fresen from South Africa (who currently lives in Germany) was also ordained a bishop.

Women bishops ordained in Apostolic Succession continue to carry out the work of ordaining women in the Roman Catholic Church. In 2006, Ida Reming was ordained a bishop and in 2008 Dana Reynolds of California became the first American Roman Catholic Womanbishop. These women and those who have come after them continue to carry on the pastoral work of ordaining women to the priesthood.

Currently there are over 100 members worldwide who are reclaiming their ancient spiritual heritage and are re-shaping a more inclusive, Christ-centered Church for the 21st century. We advocate a new model of priestly ministry united with the people with whom we serve. We are rooted in a response to Jesus who called women and men to be disciples and equals living the Gospel. 

Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) is an International Movement within the Roman Catholic Church.

The mission of Roman Catholic Women Priests is to prepare, ordain in Apostolic Succession, and support primarily women who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to a renewed priestly ministry rooted in justice and faithfulness to the Gospel.

This international movement is operating worldwide with two groups formed in the USA referred to as Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA (RCWP-USA) and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP). Both of these organizations have international members. These women priests are ministering in over 34 USA states and are also present in Canada, Europe, South and Central America, South Africa, Philippines and Taiwan.

THE CONSTITUTION

 OF

THE ASSOCIATION OF ROMAN CATHOLIC WOMEN PRIESTS:

A RENEWED MODEL OF PRIESTLY MINISTRY IN A COMMUNITY OF EQUALS

VISION STATEMENT

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests is committed to a renewed model of ordained ministry in an inclusive community of equals in the Roman Catholic Church.

 PART I.  MISSION

The Association of Roman Catholic women priests, therefore, responds to this call from the Holy Spirit, in our time, by preparing, ordaining and supporting qualified women and men, from all states of life, who are committed to a model of Church grounded in Jesus’ vision of an open table, where all are welcome. 

By our living and ministering within a community of equals, we are respectful of differences among people.

In the tradition of our mystics and prophets, we challenge the dominance of patriarchal systems by promoting practices of equality that lead us to recognize and stand for justice on behalf of all people, locally and globally, and on behalf of the urgent needs of Eco-justice for our planet.

PART II.  VALUES

We believe:

1. Equality

We believe women and men are created whole and equal by God and as baptized persons can equally represent Christ. We ordain women and men in Apostolic Succession as a matter of justice and faithfulness to the Gospel. Because equality is a human right, we are called to work for structural, systemic change that eliminates discrimination and sexism in the church and in the world.

2. Justice

We strive to live as justice makers in right relation to self, to others, and to the earth. Aware of the interconnectedness of all, we believe that action on behalf of justice is constitutive to the Gospels. Because we understand how unjust structures marginalize people on the basis of class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and mental and physical challenges, we collaborate to create alternative structures that are inclusive of all and are deeply based in the traditions of social justice within our church.

3. Accountability

Accountability is a hallmark of our commitment to circular leadership.  We are co-responsible to live our vision of a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals.  We are called to be open to the Spirit as our movement evolves and grows. As models of empowerment, we are united in vision and mission, and respectful of our differences, and we open ourselves to ongoing discussion and prayer in actualizing this responsibility. 

4. Collegiality

Our vision is to live as a community of equals in decision making as an organization and within all our faith communities. We make decisions by using a circular model including consensus and/or democratic vote of all members. We reject all forms of domination and control.

5. Prophetic Obedience

We are called by the Spirit to read the signs of the times and to respond in solidarity with the human rights and justice movements of our times. As disciples of Jesus, we stand on the margins with the marginalized, advocating for justice rising up in our church and world.  Illumined by the mystical and prophetic tradition, we use the insights of evolutionary, feminist, liberation, womanist, and mujerista theologies in our spiritual and professional ministerial development.    

6. Spirituality:

Spirituality is at the heart of our commitment to the Holy One. We are called to be women and men of prayer and action.  All of life is sacrament, a sign of God’s presence that reflects our holiness as co-creators in the community of life. Through conscious awareness and committed activism, we work for a more just, peaceful and egalitarian church and world where all beings thrive together.  As members of the Community of the Baptized, we are aware that the entire church celebrates sacraments. We preside at sacramental liturgies in inclusive, empowered, egalitarian communities where all are welcome to experience God’s extravagant love. 

7. Compassion:

Compassion allows us as healers to enter into the journey of others in times of heart break, grief and loss.  In all our communications, we strive for deep understanding, and we respond with openness to listen, to learn, and to love and to share God’s faithful presence always with others in their struggles. 

 IN SUMMARY

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) is an international community within the International Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement.   As a community of equal disciples, our calling is first and foremost to follow Jesus the Christ, our model of liberation, and to grow in unity with all in the heart of God. Aware of our deep connectedness to one another, and to the community of creation, our mission is to live Gospel justice and inclusiveness by ordaining women and men as equals and partners in the Roman Catholic Church

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you; If I am elected Pope I will decree that:

The ordination of women will be enshrined within Catholic Canon Law

If you want to know more about the Holy Spirit led Movement for the Ordination of Women please visit their websites.
romancatholicwomenpriests.org
arcwp.org

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“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7