RCWP Response To Attack On “Woman Priest” Fails Mercy Acid Test

Long time readers of Acts of the Apostasy know I’m no fan of “women priests” in the Catholic Church. I’ve written about them and against them many times over the years.

That being said, the attack against one of their members the other day was a horrible, despicable act, and deserves condemnation.

From The NYPost:

The man who attacked and seriously burned a Queens woman Wednesday night — splashing her in the face with a Drano-like substance — snuck up and ambushed her as she walked alone to her car, law-enforcement sources said.

“Can I ask you something?” the assailant said, before hurling an off-brand drain cleaner in the face of Dr. Alexandra Dyer, an ordained priest who has devoted her life to helping others.

The 59-year-old St. Albans resident had just left the Healing Arts Initiative at 33-02 Skillman Avenue in Long Island City when the man, who is believed to be in his 30s, approached her around 5:35 p.m and tossed the liquid from a coffee cup, sources said.

With her face severely burned, Dyer hopped in her car and took off — but she only got about 200 feet before the pain proved to be to much for her to bear and forced her to stop.

Moments later, a passer-by heard her screaming inside the vehicle and dialed 911, sources said.

Awful – truly and simply awful. I can’t even imagine how painful that must have felt.

However, by the article’s conclusion, it became an attack on the Catholic Church…by Jennifer O’Malley, President of the Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP), who implicated “orthodox Catholics” in the attack. That, too, deserves condemnation.

“There’s certainly people that are very orthodox Catholics that are certainly unhappy with what we’re doing,” she said. “We are breaking Canon Law 1024, which says only a baptized male can be a priest.”

Rather than go along with the church, though, O’Malley says the Womenpriests movement believes the law is oppressive and deserves to be abolished.

“If (Dyer’s attack) was related to her being a woman priest, it fully emphasizes the need for the church to allow and accept women who are called to ordination. As long as they continue to exclude us from the church, and the longer they continue to say that women are not fully capable to be priests or to hold other positions, than it will be much easier for people like this man or anyone else to say that women don’t have to be treated equally.”

Talk about playing the victim card, huh? My compassion tempers a bit when ‘the agenda’ becomes the emphasis – especially when there’s zero evidence to support the implication.

More importantly, though…where’s the mercy and forgiveness towards the attacker? I thought the RCWP were all about being merciful and accepting and compassionate and stuff. It certainly would have been the more appropriate response. O’Malley had the perfect chance to say something along the lines of “We are hopeful for Dyer’s complete and full recovery, and we want her attacker to know that, while we seek justice for his crime, we do forgive him for what he has done, because that is what Christ taught us – love our enemies, and forgive those who persecute us.”

Unfortunately, O’Malley chose not to take the Christ-like approach. Didn’t fit the template. This tragic attack became an opportunity to bash the institutional Church and the evil, misogynistic hierarchy. Which goes to show that these “women priests” won’t become true spiritual leaders as long as they continue to cast themselves as perpetual victims.

Photo via The New York Post / by Jonathan Smith, JLS Photos

Deacon Greg Kandra has written more on this story here.

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