Janine died this week at the age of 45, a victim of cancer. She was an activist for Gay Rights and the ordination of women. She herself was ordained in a clandestine service, termed a "simulation" by the Catholic Church. Therefore she is being denied a Catholic funeral at her local parish.In the good ol' days, Church authorities could arrest, torture and burn such dissenters at the stake. They can still excommunicate, ostracize, and deny the sacraments to the living and dead, and so they sometimes do. There are lots of "mortal sins", and many of then can get you excommunicated (most have to do with sex), but evidently the biggest sins are those of uppity women who think they can be called to priesthood like men. So even a "simulation" of ordination is a crime reserved to the Holy See.
Here is a link to both the news story and the video as carried on CBS in Chicago. One of the things I find remarkable about the coverage is the tenor of the report by Jay Levine. Usually Jay is very deferential to all things Catholic, even being invited on junkets by the Cardinal. Here he sounds angry. The Canon Lawyer apologist for the diocese only offered that the Church is discriminating against this woman because that's "our theology."
There are some WEORC members who belong to Janine's parish, and we hope to have their personal perspectives after the funeral being held in a Methodist church.
It's so sad for the Catholic Church that the Cardinal couldn't put compassion above rigid orthodoxy.
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