To the Editor:
We, the undersigned Roman Catholics, draw your attention to and express our support for the billboard “Ordain Women Priests” which has appeared facing Interstate 690 on the west side of Syracuse calling for the ordination of women and an end to male supremacy in the Catholic Church.
We note the findings of the Pontifical Biblical Commission which, in 1976, declared that there is no Scriptural basis preventing the ordination of women — a fact which the wider Christian Community has recognized and embraced. We believe that God’s Spirit is not limited to calling only males to ordained service as priests of Jesus Christ, rather that the call and charism to lead and serve the community of faith in priestly service is endowed inclusively among the baptized.
Also, we point out during this pandemic as many of us for perhaps the first time in our lives as first-world Catholics find ourselves longing for greater access to our communal practice, that for the majority of Catholics across the globe (some three-fifths of the church) lack of regular and frequent access to the sacraments is the norm — a result of what the church continues to refer to as a “priest shortage.” The fact is: there is no shortage of priestly vocations, but rather there is the sin of sexism, patriarchy and male clericalism in the institutional church.
We therefore, express our gratitude to the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, who initiated this billboard campaign, for his ongoing witness and encourage like-minded Catholics to join us in making known this perspective toward the end of dismantling the patriarchal hierarchical structure that so hinders the movement of God’s Spirit in the Church and world. As Father Roy reminds us: “When there is injustice, silence is complicity.”
Meg Ksander | DeWitt
On behalf of 52 persons, lay and clergy, from the Roman Catholic Church/Diocese of Syracuse:
David Pasinski
Mary Kuhn
Marilyn Goulet
Jane Hugo
Mary Kelly
Jack Ziegler
Barbara Hadley
Sr. Pat Bergen, OSF
Marylea Lombard
Margot Grobsmith
Mary Ann Dobe
Bill Cuddy
Theresa Mary Gavagan
Katie Clinton
Charles Clinton
Sophie Clinton
John Clinton
Molly Clinton
Rosemary Collins
Bill Collins
Sharon Dittmer
Maureen Lasda
David Lasda
Mark Ashley
Nancy Drotar
Joshua Drotar
Susan Schuh
Betty Drotar
Paul Drotar
Waded Gonzalez-Candelaria
Rev. Frederick D. Daley
Jack Gilroy
Helene Gilroy
Cherie Cogan
Jeremy Zhe-Hiemerman
Kari Zhe-Hiemerman
Ellenrose Galgano
Maria Erdman
Barbara Duncan
Elaine Bassano
Dan Bassano
Nancy Zarach
Rev. Tim Taugher
Kathleen Gosh
Marty Gosh
Dale Avers
Bonnie Cornish
Peter Harding
Peter Daino
Sr. Maureen D’Onofrio, CSJ
Sr. Monica Nortz, CSJ
MaryAnn Laidlaw