CORPUS (www.corpus.org) Criticizes an Unjust Action by Bishop Morlino

March 20, 2009 - PRLog -- PRESS RELEASE FROM CORPUS, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AN INCLUSIVE PRIESTHOOD (www.corpus.org)

CORPUS CRITICIZES AN UNJUST ACTION BY BISHOP MORLINO

The CORPUS Board and staff wishes to convey its gratitude to Ruth Kolpack for the many years of devoted work she has given to the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin.  We also wish to commend her for earning a Master of Divinity Degree in 2003 - a degree that requires many hours of study, writing and classroom interaction.

It was with a high degree of disappointment, shock and dismay that the CORPUS Board learned of unjust actions taken by Madison's Bishop Morlino in response to Ruth Kolpack's M.Div thesis, six years after it was written.  The topic of Ruth's thesis was the need for more inclusive language in the liturgy.

The CORPUS Board asks Bishop Morlino to reconsider his unjust actions - more to the point, his decision to remove Ruth Kolpack from her long-time position as a pastoral associate, simply because she rightly chose not to renounce the thesis she had worked very hard at six years earlier.

We are informed by 2,000 years of church history that the bedrock of Vatican/ecumenical councils was, and continues to be, theology.  Much of this theology was, and continues to be, centered around the theme of inclusivity, which attempts to provide a pastoral response to the question: "How do we draw the multitudes to our church?"  Ruth Kolpack wisely chose a timely topic for her thesis - namely, inclusive language.

CORPUS (www.corpus.org) continues to envision a church where all are welcome.  It is safe to say that on any given weekend, at least 50% of church attendees are women.  Therefore, we must do a better job of monitoring male-centered language that can serve to discourage the many women who rightly wish to be equal partners in the Kingdom of God.

CORPUS stands fully with Ruth Kolpack in her struggle to be reinstated in her pastoral position.  Furthermore, we believe Bishop Morlino owes Ruth a sincere apology for his outrageous and unacceptable behavior.

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About CORPUS: For over thirty-five years, CORPUS has been a major advocate for inclusivity in the Roman Catholic Church.