Panel members at a conference organised by women’s ordination supporters have different views on conjectured future female deacons. The five-person panel met as part of the “Open to the Door to Dialogue” conference held in Rome earlier this month. Last month, Pope Francis said he would create a commission to study the history of female Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Fr Tony Flannery’
Vatican silence on call for theology investigation reform 
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Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016
An appeal for reform of the process for theological investigations by the Church has met with a stony silence from the Vatican. In March, an international group of 15 bishops, nuns, priests and lay people wrote to Pope Francis and the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith calling for reform. Many Read more
Irish prelates to look at issue of Vatican-censured priests Comments 0
Tuesday, April 12th, 2016
Four Irish prelates are to meet a priests’ group to discuss calls for restoration to full ministry of priests disciplined by the Vatican. This is one of the topics likely to be on the agenda of a proposed meeting between the prelates and representatives of the Association of Catholic Priests. Other matters to be discussed Read more
Call to return silenced priests to ministry in jubilee year Comments 4
Friday, November 27th, 2015
A call has been made for Rome to allow priests silenced for expressing unorthodox views to return to full ministry as part of the Year of Mercy. The annual meeting of the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland this week heard that six of their members had faced sanctions for their views. Among their number Read more
Priests call for talk on total equality of women in church Comments 0
Friday, November 6th, 2015
Twelve priests in Ireland have issued a statement calling for an open discussion on equality for women in the Church, including in ministry. “Discriminating against women encourages and reinforces abuse and violence against women in many cultures and societies,” they said. Some of the 12 have been prominent members of the reformist Association of Catholic Priests in Read more
Irish hierarchy won’t respond to call for local synod Comments 0
Friday, October 30th, 2015
Suspended Irish Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery wants a synod of the Irish church, but says the Irish hierarchy hasn’t wanted to know. Writing on his blog after the synod on the family in Rome, Fr Flannery noted that Pope Francis sees the synodal process as the pattern for the whole church. Fr Flannery quipped that Read more
Bishop prevents suspended priest speaking at Irish event Comments 0
Tuesday, August 25th, 2015
An Irish bishop has moved to prevent a suspended Redemptorist speaking at a parish event next month. Fr Tony Flannery was invited by the parish pastoral council in Killeagh in Cloyne diocese to give the opening address at Spiritfest 2015. But Fr Flannery’s invitation was cancelled at the order of Bishop William Crean of Cloyne. Read more
Reformers call for clustering parishes to cease worldwide Comments 0
Friday, May 15th, 2015
The leaders of 24 reform groups are asking Pope Francis to halt the Church’s practice of clustering parishes as a response to the shortage of priests. In an open letter, 32 signatories told the Pope that the future of parish life is “massively threatened”. According to an article in the National Catholic Reporter, the letter Read more
Catholic reformers ask bishops to really back Pope Francis Comments 0
Tuesday, April 21st, 2015
Catholic reformists and Ireland’s Association of Catholic priests have called on bishops to be more pro-active in support of Pope Francis. In a statement issued after a meeting in Limerick in Ireland, bishops were called on to “courageously and publicly” support the vision and programme of Pope Francis. “A key issue will be to devolve Read more
Parish priest defies hierarchy in hosting censured speaker Comments 1
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
An American pastor has refused a request from his archbishop to cancel or change the venue of a talk by an Irish priest who has been silenced by Rome. Fr Mike Tegeder of St Frances Cabrini parish in Minneapolis was told by Archbishop John Nienstedt that the venue of Fr Tony Flannery’s talk be changed Read more
