(LifeSiteNews) — Joining me on this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show is Michael Hichborn, founder and president of the Lepanto Institute. We discussed his work exposing the heterodox Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP), revealing encounters with some of its members, and more.
I asked Hichborn about the AUSCP’s open advocacy for the ordination of female deacons and priests, noting that prior to the pontificate of Pope Francis, clerics who were this upfront about their approval of female ordination would be punished.
“We’ve got several reports that we’ve put together showing how the AUSCP wants to have these priestless parishes,” he said.
Hichborn continued: “And they’re using it as a stepping stone, saying, ‘Well, we need to have these lay ministers who will then be appointed as worship leaders, and it can be women. And then if we have worship leaders who are women, you might as well ordain them (as) deacons. Well, if you have women who are already ordained as deacons, you might as well just give them the faculties as a priest.’”
Then Hichborn told me about when he held up a sign in front of San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio during one of the group’s meetings that said, “AUSCP supports women’s ordination,” and the stunning reaction of Father Frederick Daly, who recently celebrated a “pride” Mass in Syracuse.
READ: Homosexual priest who celebrated New York ‘pride’ Mass is member of heretical priest association
He looked at my sign and he said, ‘We sure do.’ And I said, ‘You sure do what? Support women’s ordination? He goes, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Ordination to what? The priesthood?’ He said, ‘To the diaconate, to the priesthood, as bishops, as pope,’ Those were his exact words to me. And he was speaking on behalf of the AUSCP. He said, ‘We support.’ Not ‘I,’ he said ‘we,’ and the other priests that were there with him did not correct him.
Hichborn noted that a section of the program book from the AUSCP’s assembly on their working groups also called for women’s ordination, but more subtly.
“It’s very interesting because they had a section on their working groups. And the section on women in the Church, they said right at the end, ‘We are in the process of finalizing a document for clergy titled, pastoral responses and resources for priests and bishops, replying to women who feel called to ministries that exist and ministries that do not yet exist,’” he said.
READ: Archbishop of Detroit appoints priest linked to heretical, pro-LGBT clergy group to prominent post
“So when you put (that) into context with what Father Daly said to me, with this particular statement, it’s very clear where they’re going with this,” he added. “Even though they don’t want it on the printed page saying, ‘Yeah, we want women priests and women bishops and a woman pope,’ that’s very clearly what they do desire.”
To hear much more from Michael Hichborn on the AUSCP, tune in to this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show.
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