Damian Thompson reports on an article about the Archbishop of Westminster’s ecumenical officer (and famous convert maker) Fr Michael Seed. In passing he mentions the Anglican women priests who have converted to the Catholic faith. They said they were fed up with being treated shabbily by their fellow Anglicans.
Anglican Women Priests Come Home to Rome
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Well, I hope being fed up wasn’t their main reason for converting! Probably not, since they did have to give up their jobs to do it.
When reading I wondered about how they could give up their office as ‘priests.’ It occurs to me that they probably know more about the inenviable responsibility and hard work that being a priest involves. Those silly members of “Roman Catholic Womynpriests” have never been called in the middle of the night to a sick bed, or had to wrangle with the bishop, or many of the other things that being a priest actually involves.
Which reminds me– Fr. Dwight, what was your opinion of the women priests in the Anglican church back when you were Anglican? I heard someone say that they’re not nearly as good as the men, that they’re sillier and more politically driven or something, and I was wondering if you thought that was so or if you thought the women were as good as the men at being priests.
I shall of course be interested to see how Fr D responds to Ms Gray’s extraodinary question. How can one possibly generalise in a matter like this? As someone who daily meets Anglian priests both male and female, let me just say that I know some very silly priests on both sides of the gender divide just as I know some exceptionally good ones. Like many Anglicans, I deplore the fact that the decision to ordain women has sharpened the divide between Anglicans and the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. But at the same time I cannot but admire the quality of work done in every aspect of the priestly ministry by a high proportion of the women clerics I know. I am well versed in the arguments on both sides of this difficult issue but, my Roman friends, don’t make the mistake of knocking the calibre of these priests just because they’re women.
Stephen, I accept everything you (and Fr. Dwight) say about Anglican women priests. I asked the question because I want to know, having no firsthand knowledge myself.But why did you seem perturbed that I asked the question? Good heavens, there’s nothing “extraordinary” at all about asking whether women make as good priests as men do. Hasn’t that been a major subject of discussion in your communion for decades?