Greg DalyThe Church should have women priests, regardless of Pope Francis’ views on the matter, the leader of Ireland’s Green Party has said. Speaking in the Dáil about whether Ireland should have an annual public holiday to commemorate the Easter Rising, Eamon Ryan TD countered that such a holiday would be poorly timed, Easter Monday already being a public holiday. Making St Brigid’s Day a public holiday instead would provide an appropriate way to celebrate the feminine aspect of Irish life, he said.
“It is important for us to recognise our feminine tradition and side,” he stressed, adding, “I would go the whole way. I would have female priests tomorrow no matter what the Pope thinks.”
The intervention in an internal Church matter followed Pope Francis’ November 1 statement that while “women can do so many things better than men”, the “final word” on the subject of women priests had been said by St John Paul, who ruled that the Church has no power to ordain women.
Describing St Brigid as “the core patron saint to our country”, the Green Party leader suggested that St Brigid should be celebrated alongside St Patrick, arguing that that Ireland will be “far stronger and far better when we celebrate and follow our feminine side”.
Observing that St Brigid is revered in Anglican and Orthodox traditions, as well as in Catholicism, he observed that her feast was also the traditional start of the Celtic spring. “It makes sense for us to celebrate the arrival of spring, the turning of nature, the return of life, the return of light, and that is something we need to get back in touch with,” he said, continuing, “We need to get back in connection with the traditions and the culture of our country and there is no stronger tradition or culture than Bríd or Brigid’s.”
Summarising a host of traditions associated with the Kildare saint who lived in the 5th and 6th Centuries, Mr Ryan described her as “a remarkable woman, a huge, fantastic and obviously spiritual leader”.