What's Inside . . .
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Perth family man Carver Alan Ames talks of his spiritual odyssey - Page 9
PERTH, WA: November 23, 1995
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Bishop Peter Quinn of Bunbury makes his debut in The Record's bishops' perspective column, urging WA Catholics to differ in charity - Page 2 Children's Court magistrate Susan Gordon argues adults are selling children short- Page 3 The phenomenon of devotion to St Jude - Page 11
nfa bly: no women but also on the part of some faithPope John Paul 11 in his May 30, ful for whom it continues to seem 1994, apostolic letter, On that the exclusion to the priestly WASHINGTON (CNS) - The Reserving Priestly Ordination to ministry represents a violence or Church teaching that women Men Mona discrimination with respect to cannot be ordained priests In that letter the pope said, "I women." declare that the Church has no belongs "to the deposit of "Surely, one could study deeply authority whatsoever to confer faith" and has been taught priestly ordination on women the motives for which the Church "infallibly," the Vatican's and that this judgment is to be does not have the power to confer Congregation for the Doctrine definitively held by all the priestly ordination on women . . But, in every case, it cannot be of the Faith said last weekend Church's faithful." forgotten that the Church teaches, in a ruling that was seen and The new Vatican document said. as an absolutely fundamental n the present circumstances, approved by Pope John Paul II i truth of Christian anthropology, the Roman pontiff, exercising his before it was published. the equal personal dignity proper office of confirming the The teaching is "founded on brethren, has handed on this between men and women, and the written word of God and, same teaching by a formal declathe need to overcome and elimifrom the beginning, constantly ration, explicitly staling what is to nate 'every form of discrimination Bishop Antony Plila Pope John Paul II preserved and applied in the be held always, everywhere and In basic rights (Gaudium et spes. tradition of the Church," the by all, as belonging to the deposit Sacerdotalis to be held definitive- regarding a matter of great 29)." The congregation's note recalls congregation said. of the faith." ly. is to be understood as belong- Importance, a matter which per- that Pope John Paul, in Ordinatio "It has been set forth infallibly It was signed by Cardinal Joseph ing to the deposit of faith." tains to the Church's divine con- Sacerdotalis. contemplated on Ratzinger, prefect of the doctrinal by the ordinary and universal The congregation answered, "In stitution itself, in virtue of my magisterium (Church teaching congregation, and Archbishop the affirmative." It then followed ministry of confirming the the Blessed Virgin Mary who Tarcisio Bertone, congregational with an explanation that brethren, I declare that the received neither "the mission authority)," it added. proper to the apostles nor the The newly-elected president of secretary. described the papal teaching as Church has no authority whatso- ministerial priesthood." This does the United States' National The text said the Pope approved part of the deposit of faith and set ever to confer priestly ordination not mean a lesser dignity for Conference of Catholic Bishops, It and ordered it published fol- forth "infallibly." on women and that this women: "Diversity for that which Bishop Anthony Pilla of lowing its adoption by an ordiBishop Pilla asked Catholics Judgment is to be held definitive- regards mission does not harm Cleveland, immediately issued a nary session of the doctrinal con- "who have questioned this teach- ly by all the Church's faithful." the equality of personal dignity." statement asking "all in the gregation. ing in the past. . . now prayerful"The Holy Father intended to The commentary continues: The document was dated ly to allow the Holy Spirit to fill clarify," it goes on, "that the Church in the United States, especially theologians and pas- October 28, but not made public you with the wisdom and under- teaching concerning priestly "Also, to understand that there is tors who instruct and form our in Rome until last Saturday, standing that will enable you to ordination being reserved solely neither violence nor discrimination towards women, one must Catholic people in the faith, rev- November 18. accept it." to men cannot be held as 'debat- understand the very nature of erently to receive this teaching as It was issued in the form of a He said the most "fundamental able,' nor can a 'merely disciplireply to a "dubium" - the Latin Christian calling - the call to holi- nary value' be attributed to the ministerial priesthood which is a definitive." service and not a position of "It is not a teaching that dimin- term for a question posed to a ness - was open to all." Church's decision." human power or privilege over ishes the dignity of woman. . . . Vatican agency about a matter of The accompanying commentary "However, perplexities have not others. Whoever, man or woman, To say that women and men have Church teaching or policy. explained that "the ecclesiologi- been lacking not only on the part conceives the priesthood as a The "dubium" posed was: cal relevance of this apostolic let- of those who, distanced from the different roles in the Church, or in society at large, is not to say "Whether the teaching that the ter" comes from both the date of Catholic faith, do not accept the personal affirmation, as an end or they are unequal," Bishop Pilla Church has no authority whatso- its publication - Pentecost 1994 - existence of a doctrinal authority even as a point of departure for a ever to confer priestly ordination and the concluding words of the in the Church, that is, of the career of human success, is maksaid. The doctrinal congregation doc- on women, which is presented in Holy Father: "Wherefore, in order Magisterium sacramentally emp- ing a deep mistake." Continued on Page 13 ument referred to the teaching of the apostolic letter Ordinatio that all doubt may be removed owered by the authority of Christ, By Jerry Fiiteau
Two more labourers to serve in the WA vineyard By Peter Rosengren The Pope's inspiring recent message to seminarians in New York, urging them to preach the Gospel uncompromisingly and feed the people spiritually, represented a vision for the priesthood that seminarians should aspire to, Archbishop Barry Hickey said last Friday night before ordaining Phillip Perreau and Nguyen van Huynh to the priesthood in St Mary's Cathedral in Perth. Archbishop Hickey said that the Pope's talk, given during his recent US visit, was so inspiring that he had arranged for it to be copied and distributed to the seminarians studying for the Archdiocese of Perth. He welcomed the families of the ordinands and visitors from overseas Malaysia and Vietnam - including members of both Phillip's and Huynh's immediate families who had travelled to Perth to celebrate what the archbishop called "a wonderful spiritual event." Phillip and Huynh were ordained before a cathedral packed with family members, friends, priests of the diocese and families from the parishes where both Fathers Perreau and Nguyen had worked on pas-
toral placement throughout their training. Fr Perreau was most recently stationed at Rockingham and Fr Nguyen at Whitfords. Hundreds of people watched the ceremony which included the laying on of hands by Archbishop Hickey and annointing and vesting, committing Fathers Perreau and Nguyen to the Church as ministerial priests. Archbishop Hickey said the ordinations represented the self-offering of two young men to a life of service in the priesthood. "We recognise that this is essentially a spiritual commitment. It is not a position comparable to any in civil life," he said. As shepherds, they would find their spiritual growth through acts of service for the people, he said. "It is important, therefore, that they become forgetful of themselves to a certain extent, and offer themselves to you," he told the congregation. "They will need to understand the realities of the lives of people, of families, of single people, of young ones, of old ones." he said. "They will need to know the conflicts and share the pains and the sufferings, and the joys and the pleasures of the people that they serve," he said. Continued on Page 6
Croft
Archbishop Hickey shows respect for the grace of priesthood by kissing newly ordained Father Phillip Perreau's recently anointed hands in the sacristy of St Mary's Cathedral last week.