Women told to get off our
property
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Five Catholic women staging a witness at St.
Patricks Seminary in favor of enlarging inclusivity in the Roman
Catholic church were told they could not do so on church property,
according to a group member.
An archdiocesan spokesperson, who said he was unfamiliar with the
details of the incident, confirmed to NCR that it was policy not to
allow demonstrations at church facilities.
In conjunction with the Ratzinger lecture Feb. 13, the women
unfurled a banner and handed out postcards inviting people to an
inclusive liturgy on Feb. 21 in Oakland, Calif.
The five initially took up positions along the seminarys
driveway, but group member Victoria Rue said they were instructed to get
off our property by a man in clerical dress who was guiding traffic.
They relocated to the point at which the long, curving driveway
empties into a street running in front of the seminary. Two men either
seminarians or priests, Rue said stood nearby and waved cars past,
though some drivers chose to stop and receive the postcards.
Rue said she felt the group had the right to be at the seminary.
The property of St. Patricks Seminary was paid for by the Roman
Catholic people, she said. Its like going to Congress and
being told to get off the property. But its my property, she
said.
Rue said the experience was very positive in terms of
the response the women received, but also very jarring, very
chilling in terms of the hostility of seminary personnel.
Maurice Healey, spokesperson for the archdiocese, said there is an
across the board policy against demonstrations on church property.
It isnt written down, but thats pretty much how weve
always handled it, he said.
Healey rejected the argument that since Catholics paid for church
facilities, they should have the right to demonstrate on them. You could
take that logic to an extreme, and it means that anybody could seize the
pulpit, he said.
National Catholic Reporter, February 26,
1999
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