BOSTON, JULY 20, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Archdiocese of Boston has reiterated the teaching of the Church on women and the priesthood after a group "ordained" three women priests.
The organization calling itself "Roman Catholic Womenpriests" held a conference in Boston over the weekend at a Presbyterian church. They had an ordination ceremony today with three women.
"Roman Catholic Womenpriests is not an entity of the Roman Catholic Church," the archdiocese stated.
"For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has served to carry on the ministry and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church is made up of women and men, equal in rights and diverse in gifts and ministries. Following our devotion to Mary, the Church is committed to, and sustained by the many important contributions of women each and every day," the statement said.
It added: "As members of our religious communities, lay members in leadership roles within the Church, educators, canon lawyers, and as pastoral and social service providers across many other critical areas, women are helping to shape the course of our Church in following the will of God.
"The ordination of men to the priesthood is not merely a matter of practice or discipline within the Catholic Church, but rather, it is part of the unalterable Deposit of Faith handed down by Christ through his apostles."
The archdiocesan statement recalled that "Catholics who attempt to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the women who attempt to receive a sacred order, are by their own actions separating themselves from the Church."
