• By JOHN A. COLVIN
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Dec 27, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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A Lutcher-born Catholic priest facing excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church for his public stance advocating ordination of women priests has recently received the support of 113 nuns.

In a Dec. 12 letter written to the Vatican, the Detroit-based National Coalition of American Nuns criticized the threatened discipline of the Rev. Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest, saying it “has diminished our Church.”

The letter continues: “Roy is now a prophetic voice in our church because of his support for women’s equality in all Church ministries. Excommunications depend not on edicts or laws, but on compliance.

“We do not believe Roy is outside the community, and we embrace him wholeheartedly.”

Bourgeois told The Advocate in early November that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Oct. 21 gave him 30 days to recant his belief and public statements or be excommunicated, or banished from the church.

However, Bourgeois said, he would remain steadfast in his convictions and would not back down from his public statements.

The controversy began in early August when Bourgeois attended an ordination service  for a woman priest and  preached a homily.
Vatican officials have not announced any official steps taken against Bourgeois.

Bourgeois could not be reached this week by phone at his office in Columbus, Ga.

Church leaders maintain that the priesthood is reserved for men, and, in May, the Vatican insisted that it is properly following Christian tradition by excluding women from the priesthood.

As a result, the Vatican issued a new warning that church members taking part in ordinations of women would be excommunicated.

In a news release discussing the National Coalition of American Nuns’ letter defending Bourgeois, Dominican Sister Donna Quinn, one of the coordinators, said the proposed

punishment of the priest is not in line with the modern church.

“The medieval punishment of excommunication serves only to embarrass our Church in the eyes of the world and fuels further anger and resentment among the U.S. faithful,” Quinn  said.

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