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Harrington praises her work as a chaplain at Community Memorial Hospital.
And when he thinks of her upcoming ordination in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement — a largely excommunicated group of women ordaining other women to the priesthood — his mood changes. He calls the situation “very, very sad.”
And pauses momentarily.
“She has chosen to make this decision, and I have to respond,” Harrington said. “My responsibility is as a shepherd and to uphold the faith and ensure that the souls are not misled. I have to do what I have to do to act responsibly.”
Harrington said he remains committed to teaching the Catholic church’s position on the ordination of women into the priesthood, while at the same time respecting Redig, who has been a lifelong member of the diocese and will be ordained May 4 in Winona.
“This will cause more confusion than good. I am sorry to see the church being fractured in another way,” Harrington said.
Admittedly, the church’s stance on the ordination of women is something that causes confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, Harrington said. He said the church exhaustively outlined its position in a 46-page document, “Mulieris Dignitatem,” written in 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
However, the issue came to the forefront recently when the “Danube Seven,” a group of seven women who were ordained in Europe, claimed apostolic blessing for the ordination. Since then, other women have been ordained and many have been excommunicated.
Most recently, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, formerly the bishop of the La Crosse Diocese, excommunicated three Womenpriests.
As for Redig, Harrington sees little reason to formally excommunicate her if she goes through with ordination.
“She, by her actions, has excommunicated herself,” he said. “Archbishop Burke did something that formally had already taken place. It means my job is easier.”
Harrington said the church’s decision not to ordain women is rooted in the earliest actions of Jesus Christ’s ministry when he calls disciples — only men. From the 12 chosen disciples, Christ gave power and therefore served as the model of how priests of the church were determined.
Harrington also pointed out there are many opportunities for women to serve in the church, including holy orders and in ministry outside the priesthood. A look at the Diocese of Winona’s staff roster shows four women in positions of leadership, including the chancellor of the diocese.
The bishop also said the issue is more complex than just a matter of gender. For example, many men are turned away from the priesthood. He said the calling to the priesthood is a two-part process, an individual’s call and then a call from the bishop.
“There are many people who seriously feel called but are not suited,” Harrington said. “Yet it’s a very deep, deep call.”
Sometimes men can be turned down for larger issues like having a criminal record, while at other times it can be more subtle, like discerning that the priesthood might not be the right venue for ministry.
Harrington said in Catholic theology, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is “held in the highest esteem of all human beings.”
“Mary is our single, solitary boast,” Harrington said.
The bishop said Mary’s position in the Catholic theology demonstrates the high regard for women in the church and demonstrates that men and women are called to different roles.
“The dignity of every human being and the vocation corresponding to that dignity find their definitive measure in union with God. Mary, the woman of the Bible, is the most complete expression of this dignity and vocation. For no human being, male or female, created in the image and likeness of God, can in any way attain fulfillment apart from this image and likeness,” said John Paul in his landmark 1988 text.
While Redig and the womenpriests movement point out a nationwide priest shortage, Harrington said filling it with women simply cannot happen because of church teaching n the church cannot alter what Christ started.
“I think we’d look to married men first,” Harrington said. “But that is a discussion for the cardinals and the Holy Father. Those decisions are not made by a local bishop, and I am not a pope in my diocese.”
Other critics of the church question why gender matters.
“That’s true if you approach it from a biological view,” Harrington said. “But this is a matter of theology, not biology. And the church is not a democracy. Most approach it from that view and that’s why they have a hard time.
For now, Harrington is using this “sad event” as a teaching moment for the diocese members. That education started more than a month ago when a full page article outlining why women cannot be ordained to the priesthood was placed in “The Courier,” the diocese’s official newspaper.
“I have to let the Catholic community of this area know what is proper and true,” Harrington said. “This is not a proper ordination by Catholic teaching and tradition. The Catholic community needs to know they need a validly ordained priest.
“If they choose to go to her the Catholic community ought to know — must know — that confession is not being validly heard, that the sacraments and words used may be the same, but it’s not valid. After all, we see Mass in the movies and see Masses in plays, but we know they’re not real.”
