Book Review: Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church – An Insider’s View.

The theme of solidarity runs throughout Roy Bourgeois’ new autobiographical book Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church – An Insider’s View.

The short memoir is about “confronting ignorance—my own, that of my country, and that of my church.”For many NWNC readers, Bourgeois’ story is familiar. A longtime friend of WOC, many will have read an NCR report about his clash with the Vatican and ultimate dismissal from Maryknoll, signed a petition in his support, or even heard him speak at one of the many screenings of Pink Smoke Over the Vatican over the years. In 2012, Bourgeois put out a shorter memoir, My Journey from Silence to Solidarity, which also tells the story of his awakening to peace activism, and women’s ordination. 

This new book, at just 102 pages, is divided into two sections; the first details his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam and then missionary priest in Latin America, and the resulting impact on his understanding of solidarity; and the second on his awakening to the experiences of women called to priesthood, and the systemic sexism dominating the Roman Catholic Church. 

Side-by-side, the two memoirs are similar, but this new volume offers perhaps a more intimate portrait of Bourgeois’ interior challenges and sorrows about participating in an unjust war, and confronting the privileges of the all-male priesthood. 

He recounts his encounters with women called to priesthood in Bolivia, and later in the US, and his decision to seize an opportunity when being interviewed by Vatican Radio to mention the injustice of the ban on women’s ordination. A prophetic match that started a much bigger fire, Bourgeois goes into detail of the back and forth between the Vatican, Maryknoll, and himself including copies of the correspondence, and the many ways in which he refused to be silent: “silence is complicity.” 

Even if familiar, Roy’s story is painful to read. As many know, he paid a high price for his solidarity with women and the women’s ordination movement: The betrayal of his Maryknoll brothers, the mistreatment by the Vatican, and being canonically removed from priesthood after 40 years, among many other losses. One could say his witness failed to inspire other male priests to speak out on the issue, perhaps the Vatican succeeded in making an example of him, warning others to keep their mouths shut on the matter (it was the Benedict-era after all). But that would miss the point. 

In the ten years since Roy’s dismissal from the priesthood, he has moved from hurt and pessimism to optimism and hope.  He sees more and more lay Catholics and some clergy speaking out about women’s ordination, particularly prevalent in the synod meetings. Roy’s book is a detailed description of his fight for justice and the price he paid for that. We commend Roy for his faithfulness and solidarity.

Roy Bourgeois is a Catholic household name, a prophetic witness to the lengths the Vatican will go to silence and discredit even their own when it comes to women’s ordination. His relentless activism gave voice to what is really at stake when we advocate for women’s ordination, and his friendship with WOC members energized our movement in important ways. His courageous legacy in the movement for women’s ordination will shine forth for generations and if this book helps tell his story to a new generation, it is for the better.

(Editors’ note: This review originally ran in the Summer/Fall Issues of NewWomen, New Church)