US archdiocese pulls shelter funds because of woman priest

Donations have flooded to a US shelter for women and children after an archdiocese withdrew a grant because it didn’t like who was praying there.

Debra Meyers, a member of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWR), was invited to lead a Sunday prayer service at Lydia’s House in Ohio on the feast of St Mary Magdelene.

The $700 promised by Cincinnati archdiocese was supposed to go towards buying a new washer and dryer for the shelter, which is run in the Catholic Worker tradition.

But it said it wouldn’t reimburse money Lydia’s House had already spent, after it found out about Ms Meyer’s involvement.

The archdiocese said the money would be given to an organisation that supports the homeless, maintains Catholic teaching, and is congruent with the expectations of the archdiocese.

“Donors are promised their contributions will not be used to support organisations that stand in opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church,” the archdiocese stated.

By hosting a public prayer service presided over by someone who claims to be a Catholic priest but is not, Lydia’s House has chosen to put itself in that category,” the statement continued.

But since the funding was withdrawn, and this was publicised in the media, more than $9500 in donations has come in.

Most of the support came from local donors in Cincinnati.

Lydia’s House says it will share the funding with other shelters.

“The archdiocese seems to care a lot about what they are against,” Mary Ellen Mitchell, a founder of Lydia’s House told the National Catholic Reporter.

“What we would like to figure out is what are we all for and work together on those things,” she said.

Ms Meyers, a professor of history at Northern Kentucky University, told NCR she did not intend to celebrate Mass at Lydia’s House.

“I don’t think anyone should object to anyone leading a prayer service,” Ms Meyers said.

“The priestly thing and the ordination thing really shouldn’t have mattered.”

The ARCWP donated $1000 to Lydia’s House.

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