You're not listening!
The penalties callously doled out to Sister Louise Lears - a woman who has dedicated her entire life to serve the Church - is a prime example of the way women are often wrongly treated by the Catholic hierarchy, where dangerous secrecy runs rampant and preserving power in the hands a few ordained men reigns supreme.
A.M.D.G comments
There is so much wrong with this one statement, it's amazing that anyone could be so far off base.
1. What makes Aisha think that the penalties were "callously" doled out? Lears had every opportunity to recant and repent of her public scandal but refused. She apparently invited the penalties.
2. How is it possible to "serve the Church" while at the same time refusing to believe or assent to what the Church proposes for our belief or discipline?
3. How can Aisha claim that the imposition of these just penalties is a "prime example of the way women are often wrongly treated by the Catholic hierarchy," when similar interdicts have been applied to "men"? Intellectual honesty demands that one's assertions be substantiated by truth, however, the claims made by Aisha Taylor are, at best, dishonest and deceptive.
4. She also asserts that the Catholic hierarchy engages in a "dangerous secrecy." One logically must then ask - If it's a secret, how does she know about it. If there is some "secrecy" running rampant among a few men in the Vatican, then it's not much of a "secret" anymore, is it? And if this "secrecy" runs rampant and very few know about, how can she claim that it's dangerous?
Taylor seems to say that the Catholic hierarchy conspires and schemes so that they can find news ways to keep women in their place, so to speak - they're trying to keep the woman down! Such an implication speaks volumes - it's delusional and it seems to demonstrate a unhealthy paranoia or some phobia or hatred of men.
A rational mind can only conclude that Taylor and her cohorts have a talent for combining insulting and accusatory words into calumniating ramblings. And we have only looked at the first sentence! Let's continue:.
In a weekend article in Newsweek which is totally in the bag for women's ordination they interviewed a nun who recently left her order and had once written a book supporting women's ordination.
With dissenters it is always others who are deficient in listening. Not surprisingly it is never they that need to listen to the teaching authority of the Church. The reason the CDF fails to grasp how wonderful their theological positions is because 1) they are not listening and 2) Did you know it was once called the "Holy Inquistion?" Anybody even slightly familiar with the CDF knows that there investigations take years and much time is spent in dialogue to determine if what someone says could be understood in an orthodox manner and for them to fully explain themselves.
In a work published shortly before Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope he wrote.
The task of the teaching office is not to oppose thinking, but to ensure that the authority of the answer that was bestowed on us has its say and, thus, to make room for the truth itself to enter. To be given such a task is exciting and dangerous. It requires the humility of submission of listening and obeying. It is a matter not of putting your own ideas in effect, but of keeping a place for what the Other has to say, that Other without whose ever-resnet Word all else drops into the void. The teaching office, properly understood, must be a humble service undertaken to ensure that true theology remains possible and that the answers may thus be heard without which we cannot live aright.
To which dissenters would reply "You're not listening."
Known as 
The grammar of the statement also is wrong, as the noun and verb fail to agree in number. "The penalties" is plural; "is" is singular.
I was trying to make the same point over in Michael Bayly's comments box just this morning...
I was trying to make the same point over in Michael Bayly's comments box just this morning...
You're not listening
Right. In the same way I'm not tolerating.
People keep using those words. I don't think they mean what they think they mean.
I always amused by complaints about the way the CDF operates. Most of the time those under investigation never bother to reply to the criticisms. Peter Phan didn't. Or, if they do respond they say something like, "Oh, I'm revising that book even now." Total blow off.
To Ed Pie:
"People keep using those words. I don't think they mean what they think they mean."
People disobeying Rome? Inconceivable!!!!
^_^
By her definition of "serve", Judas also "served" Jesus. That she did so for so many years is not in her favor.
Last Sunday, our increasingly senile, geriatric priest slipped a gear and lost his place in Mass. We ended up doing the Liturgy of the Eucharist twice. The whole thing. Everyone was on their feet to sing the Our Father and he stopped for a while and then flipped back a few pages and took another run at it. Everyone realized what was going on and knelt back down. It was very sad and very pathetic. It's been happening more and more often with him and getting worse.
I can't remember the last priest I met who was under 50 and I go to Mass at many different places. Yesterday convinced me we need women priests. In the absence of that, we're going to end up with massive cathedrals where the remaining priests say Mass in front of thousands because we'll have to close down parishes.
Christ went after the pharisees for clinging to the minutae of rules over the bigger picture. It seems to me like that's what we're doing, too.
Yesterday convinced me we need women priests
We can no more have woman priests than we can use beer and pizza for the Eucharist. And I notice you didn't even suggest married male priests which at least is theoretically a possibility (however unlikey) but instead went straight for chucking a part of the Deposit of Faith.
Scott, I believe that you can use pizza for the Eucharist. I'm obviously not a Catholic legal expert, but if a Mass is said in a remote location or under extreme duress, can't you use anything that comes to hand.
When our priests are getting to the altar using walkers and wearing Depends, it might be considered a time of duress.
There is such a thing as choosing between two bad options. How many Catholics are you willing to lose to other faiths because the local priest has senile dementia in exchange for making sure they're all men? That's precisely where you are right now.
Not every choice has an upside.
By the way, I completely respect your position. You just have to accept the negative consequences of it.
KT Cat
Any matter other than wheat bread and grape wine is invalid matter. No other matter can be used. This question has been settled definitively by the Magisterium. This is why when sometimes people try to make their own recipes for the host that it is considered invalid matter and thus can not be consecrated.
Also those that suffer from celiacs disease have wanted a no-gluten host, but without gluten there is not wheat so the only option allowed is low-gluten hosts.
The same goes for alcoholic priests that wanted to use something other than grape wine. They can get permission to use Mustim which has very low alcohol, but is still grape wine.
Canon law also says the same, but this is deeper than just canon law and is part of the theology of the Eucharist.
When our priests are getting to the altar using walkers and wearing Depends, it might be considered a time of duress.
As hard as it is to believe, there are many dioceses that have plenty of priests and vocation--the ones that stick to tradition and orthodox Church teaching. And as Benedict XVI says, we don't need more priests, we need faithful priests.
I'm glad you respect my position. I will also point out that male-only priesthood is am irreformable teaching that must be held definitively by Catholics.
KT,
He'd be a real priest, Depends and all. I'd definitely rather have my confession heard by an elderly, memory-challenged priest in a nursing home than by an impostor. (Come to think of it, lack of memory would be a real "selling" point. :) Not only that, but we've got some WONDERFUL priests in nursing homes who could still teach and administer sacraments, even if they can't say the Mass. Plus, I've attended some especially reverent Masses whose celebrant was forced by disability to SIT at the altar. Absolutely not a problem. If he's willing, I'm there.
But yes, we need to pray more for vocations, and for answers to shortages in the meantime. God will provide the bridegrooms for His Church.