Catholic church punishes women for supporting female priests

“Cry as if you have a million voices; it is silence that kills the world.” ~ St. Catherine of Siena

Sister Louise Akers, a 66-year-old Cincinnati Catholic nun, was banned two weeks ago from teaching in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Her crime?  She supports the ordination of women priests.

The injustice of the disciplinary action inspired Dr. Carol Egner, a lifelong Catholic and gynecologist, to write a letter to The Cincininati Enquirer in support of Akers.  In her letter, Egner said she could find no biblical justification for not allowing women to the priesthood and pointed out that allowing women priests could reduce the burdon of the current priest shortage.  “I agree with ordaining women as priests now,” she wrote.  “And perhaps if we had already been doing this, words like sexual abuse would not be associated with the Catholic Church.”

When the Rev. David Sunberg, the pastor of Egner’s church, read her letter, he demanded she write another renouncing her position.  When she refused, she was told she could no longer teach her religion class for sixth-graders at Our Lady of Lourdes parish. According to The Enquirer :

Egner, who has been a volunteer teacher for two years, said she never discussed her views on women priests in her religion class and she told Sunberg she never would bring it up. Her letter does not identify her as a teacher and does not name her parish.

“I feel the punishment is disproportionate,” Egner said. “Priests have abused boys and their punishment was disproportionate the other way. I feel the church really hasn’t taken responsibility and addressed that, and yet I can’t write a letter to the editor.  I don’t get that.”

Frankly, the Catholic church’s dismal position on women and reproductive rights disgusts me, but I also recognize that these positions will only become more stringent and harsh without input and leadership from its female parishioners.  You can help Akers and Egner by sending letters of support and outrage to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and The Cincinnati Enquirer .