A prominent Irish priest has announced that he will reject a
directive from the Vatican and refuse to sign a statement affirming
Church teachings on the nature of priestly ordination.
Father Tony Flannery had been silenced by the Vatican last year because
of his statements supporting the ordination of women and questioning
Church teachings on contraception and on homosexuality.
At a January 20
press conference in Dublin he said that the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had ordered him to sign a statement of
support for Church teaching, and threatened further disciplinary action
if he refused.
“Either I sign a statement, for publication, stating that I accepted
teachings that I could not accept, or I would remain permanently banned
from priestly ministry, and maybe face more serious sanctions,” Father
Flannery said.
He claimed that his disagreements with the Vatican
involved “not matters of fundamental teaching, but rather of Church
governance.”
Actually his published writings have questioned fundamental
Catholic doctrines; he has not only opposed the ban on ordination of
women but also said that he does not believe that "the priesthood as we
currently have it in the Church originated with Jesus."
Father Flannery complained bitterly about the Vatican handling of his
case, charging that the CDF had refused to meet with him to discuss his
views and that the Vatican routinely punishes critics “because they
would not toe the line.”
He said that although “I find myself forbidden
to minister as a priest, with a threat of excommunication and dismissal
from my congregation hanging over me,” he would not accede to the
Vatican’s demand.
The Association of Catholic Priests, a dissident group that Father
Flannery had helped to found, issued a strong statement of support for
the embattled priest, denouncing the Vatican for “a callousness and even
brutality” in its handling of his case.
Father Flannery’s Redemptorist community expressed regret that talks
between the Vatican and the priest had broken down.
Without endorsing
Father Flannery’s unorthodox views, the community voiced concern over
the Vatican’s handling of the matter.
The Redemptorist statement said:
“It is of immense regret that some structures or processes of dialogue
have not yet been found in the Church which have a greater capacity to
engage with challenging voices from among God's people, while respecting
the key responsibility and central role of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.”