NCR: Group petitions for reinstatement of former Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois

A new petition has been launched to reinstate a popular priest who was excommunicated for his support of female ordination.

CORPUS, an organization begun by resigned priests and their families that calls for a more inclusive church, released a petition June 28 to reinstate former Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois. Bourgeois was excommunicated after saying the homily at an August 2008 Mass of ordination for longtime friend Janice Sevre-Duszynska, who was ordained into the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.

Many other Catholic groups have also endorsed the petition, including School of the Americas Watch, Call to Action and Women’s Ordination Conference.