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It is now almost fifteen years since I was forbidden to exercise priestly ministry, and I am on the verge of my eightieth birthday. The issues around which I was forbidden to minister were my writings on such matters as priesthood, women’s equality, and aspects of Catholic sexual teaching.
As a Redemptorist, I had spent all my years of ministry mainly in preaching. That year, in which I was in conflict with the Vatican and my Redemptorist authorities, was not easy, but was life changing.
Letter of Kieran O’Mahony to the Tablet
Has the Holy Father made a mistake in not permitting the ordination of women, even initially only to the diaconate? The exclusion of women from ministry can be traced not only to tradition but also to an erroneous reading of the evolution of “church” and its ministries. In common with many other biblical scholars, I would affirm the following. Firstly, the historical Jesus encountered very few non-Jews.
