I am saddened and angry upon reading (in The Catholic Messenger, Sept. 1 issue) of the priest in Phoenix who has dismissed the girls who were altar servers at the cathedral.
He retained the boys, but no longer are girls allowed to serve. How hurtful to those young girls!
His stated reason was “to encourage vocations” for the boys. So … we don’t want to encourage girls? He even stated that those who are upset by this would be “reacting on an emotional level.” No, I don’t think so. Fair is fair, and this is just unfair to those girls.
Father Lankeit, have you noticed that women are half the population? And that they are doctors and lawyers, government officials, CEOs of large corporations and, yes, even religious leaders? With Vatican Council II, some changes were made and many of us had great hopes that more changes were coming. It now seems that it is one step forward and two steps back. “Firing” these young girls is one example of this.
How many young people (and some older ones, too) must we lose to other faiths before our Church moves into the 21st century?
Anne Scheetz
Coralville
