Saturday, 16 March 2013

Priests who are poles apart in more ways than one



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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