FROM A PRESS RELEASE
The following is a statement from the Metropolitan Community Churches in response to new Vatican guidelines that codify guidelines for sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church, equating abuse and women's ordination.
The statement is from the Office of the Moderator of MCC, dated July 22.
"The July 15th release of Vatican revisions to the internal church laws regarding discipline of pedophilic priests, will hopefully speed the judicial procedures that remove offenders," said The Rev. Nancy Wilson, moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches. "Unfortunately, the document still does not require Bishops to report all sexual abuse allegations to civil authorities or to be accountable for clergy under their charge who are accused of abuse, and thus fails in its attempt to create safe space for those who are preyed upon."
Safe space, in fact, remains a major concern for the Church. In its attempt to deal more rapidly with accusations of abuse, the authors of the document have compiled a list of offences that fall into the category of "more grave delicts" or offenses. Among the grave offences listed is the attempt to ordain women.
Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican's internal prosecutor in charge of sexual abuse cases, characterized the attempt to ordain women "a wound that is an attempt against the Catholic faith on the sacramental orders."
"The most serious and grave wound faced by the Roman communion today is not the attempt to rectify inequality among those called by God into service. The most serious and grave wound faced is the refusal to honestly and truthfully address the reality of pedophilia among the ranks of clergy and lay people alike, and to do all in its power to make the Church safe space for women and children alike," said The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, chair of the Moderator's Global Justice Team. "Equating pedophilia and attempts to ordain women as equally 'grave' offenses only continues to deflect attention from the real issue at hand: making churches safe space for everyone."
This statement was prepared in conjunction with The Moderator's Global Justice Team,
The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Chair.
