Flannery condemns cardinal’s foot- washing guidance

The CENSURED Irish priest Fr Tony Flannery has criticised the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship for suggesting that priests are not obliged to wash the feet of women during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, writes Sarah Mac Donald.

Fr Flannery described Cardinal Robert Sarah’s statement as “dreadful”, adding that it was “a good indication of the difficulties that Pope Francis is facing within the Vatican”.

The Redemptorist claimed that the cardinal had “dragged his feet” in issuing the decree by Pope Francis which emphasises that women can be included in the rite. He pointed out that it had taken Cardinal Sarah 13 months to change the rubric, after which he had issued his own statement seemingly “contradicting” the decree.

According to Cardinal Sarah, a priest “has to decide in accord with his own conscience, and according to the purpose for which the Lord instituted this feast” whether to include women in the rite.

Later this month Fr Flannery is due to address the Association of Catholics in Ireland in Galway on the subject of “Women: Potential for Ministry in the Church”.

It is understood he will claim that bishops and Vatican officials are unwilling to enter into any sort of serious dialogue or discussion with reform-minded people.

“I will be making it absolutely clear, as I have done many times, that what is needed is that women have a full and equal part to play in all aspects of church life and that includes ministry,” he warned. “Until such time as that happens, the Church is not going to regain its credibility.”