German woman instantly excommunicated for attempting ordination

Uschi Schäfer is a German Catholic theologian who, at 61, was recently ordained a priest within the reformist movement of the Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) in Cape Town, the capital of South Africa.

The joy of having fulfilled her dream, however, was immediately tempered by the fact that such ordination automatically entails excommunication, expulsion from the ecclesial community she had sought to serve. She knew this. But her gesture is a vindication that more and more women are joining.

“In the business world, this is known as 'servant leadership.' We have opted for prophetic disobedience to canon law and prophetic obedience to the Holy Spirit. We see ourselves in a productive and loyal disagreement with the Catholic Church,” the Bavarian theologian notes in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Regarding her excommunication, she considers it “a shame that the Church is reacting with punishments,” and calls the law prohibiting women from being priests because Christ was a man unjust. “An unjust law does not impose obligations,” Schäfer asserts.

The new priestess first met the RCWP in South Africa, where she lived for almost 25 years until 2016. There, she was impressed by the women participating in the reformist movement, which had formed in 2002 and came to light after the clandestine ordination of seven women aboard a boat on the Danube River, in the border region between Bavaria and Austria.

Since then, this movement has gained ground and visibility, although some ordinations continue to be kept secret in some countries to avoid boycotts. In the United States, for example, this movement is divided into five major sectors. There is also another one outside that country.

The theologian explained in that interview—reported by the Katholisch website—that gender equality is very important to her, which is why, she says, she is willing to endure any negative reaction. Such as immediate excommunication.

“Furthermore, she believes the RCWP constitution is fairer than the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. While the highest office is that of bishop, female bishops are elected by all members and their authority is very limited. Far-reaching decisions are made by a team of members elected for a limited term,” the same source notes.

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