One day I was bleeped by A&E
to say they had a patient dying in resus and the family were religious. As I
was talking to the family I realised that they went to a local church. I asked
them if they had contacted their vicar. They told me they had so I just stayed
with them until their priest arrived.
We were chatting quite easily to one
another. The man who was dying was elderly and loved and they were sharing stories of his life with me.
The family priest arrived in a flurry of activity. I shook his hand and he
said he was in the middle of preparing lunch for 8 people. I was appalled. This
was not a very pastoral thing to say as you greet a family at such a difficult time.
Then I recognised him and realised he was a leading light of Forward in Faith or backward in bigotry as I refer to them in private. It's an organisation that is anti women priests. I then felt I had to
say something pastoral and theological to this family in front of him to show
how valuable my ministry as a woman was. Why did I feel the need to prove myself though? It was a horrible situation to be in
and I almost felt his disdain for me and all female priests
ministry.
I hope that family received something despite the differences of the
priests with them that day.
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