An Irish Redemptorist priest at odds with the Vatican over his views on the nature of the priesthood has broken a period of silence imposed a year ago to claim he has been threatened with excommunication.
At a press conference in Dublin, Fr Tony Flannery, 66, said he was “threatened with excommunication from the Catholic Church for suggesting that, in the future, women might become priests and calling for this and other matters to be open for discussion”.
However, the Irish Catholic cited “senior Vatican sources” as saying the Vatican had not threatened excommunication, and that the case against Flannery was about the fundamental nature of the Church’s understanding of the priesthood.
The Vatican sources cited claimed the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith was concerned over a 2010 statement by Father Flannery that he no longer believed “the priesthood as we currently have it in the Church originated with Jesus” or that Jesus designated “a special group of his followers as priests”.
Fr Flannery wrote: “It is more likely that some time after Jesus, a select and privileged group within the community who had abrogated power and authority to themselves, interpreted the occasion of the Last Supper in a manner that suited their own agenda.”
The Redemptorist, a popular preacher, retreat master and writer, was one of the founders of Ireland’s Association of Catholic Priests, which has affirmed its support for him “in the strongest possible terms”.
The Vatican had asked him not to attend the association’s meetings.
According to the Irish Catholic, the Vatican was worried about the influence his views on the nature of the priesthood might have on the organisation’s members.
Following the press conference, the superior general of the Redemptorists, Father Michael Brehl, said he deeply regretted that Father Flannery had broken the silence he had been asked to observe.
He “earnestly invited” the priest “to renew the efforts to find an agreed solution to the concerns raised by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith”.