Priest leaving over attending banned event
A Catholic priest will no longer be allowed to stand at the pulpit in San Francisco after attending a conference over the weekend advocating the ordination of women.
The Rev. Jack McClure will conduct his final Mass at the Most Holy Redeemer parish in the Castro on Sunday, archdiocese officials said.
There is some dispute about the particular sequence of events, and whether McClure’s resignation was voluntary or forced. But the two sides agree he is no longer welcome to perform priestly duties in San Francisco because he attended the conference.
“His pastor said it was a bad idea; don’t go to the conference,” said Mike Brown, archdiocese spokesman. “He told his pastor, ‘I’ve got to go.’ ”
McClure attended the Women’s Ordination Worldwide conference in Philadelphia, participating on a panel called “Break the Silence,” appearing with excommunicated or otherwise outcast priests.
“We wanted to participate in dialogue,” McClure said. “I really admire the women, their scholarship, the way they presented. It was inspiring and insightful.”
McClure knew the conference might ruffle feathers, but said Pope Francis, visiting the United States this week, has encouraged church officials to engage in dialogue.
McClure has been the parochial vicar at the parish for more than a year, performing Mass and other priestly duties under the direction of the parish pastor, Matt Link. While he had earlier planned a move to Berkeley to join the Precious Blood Fathers community in the Oakland diocese, he also planned to continue his work in San Francisco.
He said he resigned Thursday, under an agreement that he would still be allowed to return on weekends and on some weekdays as needed to perform Mass.
Brown said the priest was asked to resign because he defied the pastor’s request to skip the conference.
In any event, the pastor and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone rescinded the offer to allow McClure to continue to serve at Most Holy Redeemer. He will no longer be allowed to minister in the archdiocese — the typical procedure when a priest moves away, Brown said.
Supporters said McClure is being silenced for standing with women who feel called to a priestly role.
“It was a very brave thing he did,” said Miriam Duignan, spokeswoman for Women’s Ordination Worldwide. “They only take notice when the men speak. He received immediate attention.”
McClure said there will be no personal venting during his last Mass. Instead, he will baptize twin girls and celebrate a nun’s 60 years of service.
As for the idea of women as priests, he said, “I don’t think they would probably do a very good job of it. But I would be willing to give them 2,000 years to try it, because we really haven’t done all that well all the time either.”