Toronto Archdiocese says women's ordination not connected with church

Published: 2007-05-29

TORONTO (CNS) -- The Archdiocese of Toronto said an ordination ceremony held by a group that calls itself Roman Catholic Womenpriests has "no connection whatsoever to the Roman Catholic Church." The archdiocese said in a statement that, "despite its name, (Roman Catholic Womenpriests) has no connection whatsoever to the Roman Catholic Church, nor do its ceremonies have any relationship with the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church." The statement said the organization has no authority to restructure the sacraments, especially that of priestly ordination. The Catholic Church does not allow the ordination of women. One Canadian and two American women were ordained "priests" at the May 27 ceremony in the tiny West Hill United Church. Three others, including the group's first male, were ordained as deacons. South African Patricia Fresen, who performed the ordinations, was part of a ceremony in 2002 on the Danube River in Germany, where seven women were "ordained" by a schismatic Argentine bishop. The women were subsequently excommunicated by the Vatican. Since then, the group has performed several other public ceremonies and now claims 14 women priests in Canada and one in the United States.

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