Feminism to blame for women priests

November 1994

A TRALEE priest, who left the Church of Ireland because of a refusal to accept women into the priesthood, blames the emergence of feminism for the ordination of women which he says has no basis in Scripture.

The Very Reverend John McCarthy — whose 92-yearold mother still lives in Ballymullen, Tralee — has spent the last month ministering in America after his sudden resignation in September from his position as the Dean of Clogher and Rector of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh.

Speaking to The Kerryman from Quincy in Illinois, where he is now based as a temporary rector, Rev McCarthy (56) said that one third of all Anglican clergymen were against women priests and that, as far as he was aware, he was the first clergyman to resign because of the issue.

“They simply had no jobs to go to. The priests who wanted to leave the Church of Ireland were offered nothing apart from compassion,” he said. “I would suggest that a lot more would have left because they don’t believe that women should be priests”.

Rev McCarthy said he believed there is no basis in Scripture for the ordination of women and he added that it was against the apostolic traditions of the Church of Ireland.

“It is against tradition and against Scripture. It was all because of the strong feminist movement and has nothing to do with theology or Scripture. My main reasons for leaving were, one, because the Church of Ireland claims to be an ‘apostolic’ church but if it has women priests it can’t maintain such a faith,” he said.

“Two, is the argument from Scripture. Anglicans say you can’t change doctrine unless there is a basis for it in Scripture and Scripture does not say that women can be priests. I am strongly against women priests and I will never change my mind on that one.”

Rev McCarthy described his departure from Enniskillen — one of the most important parishes in the North — as a painful and traumatic experience and he said that both he and his wife Isobel were extremely happy in Fermanagh.

Following his resignation, the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Rev Brian Hannon said that his decision did not represent a schism in the Clogher Diocese. Bishop Hannon said: “The issue of women’s ordination has not caused a particular problem in the local area, except in this personal case”

“Leaving was a painful process. It was the last thing I wanted to do but it was a matter of conscience,” said Rev McCarthy who is also critical of the Protestant bishops who he said were generally silent on the issue of women priests, particularly when a General Synod took place in 1990 and Rev McCarthy first made his views known.