Sep. 13, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The Catholic bishops of Canada have announced the excommunication of members of the group known as the Army of Mary.
The September 12 announcement from the Canadian bishops' conference indicated that the excommunications had been declared by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news).
The Army of Mary was founded in 1971 by Marie-Paule Giguere, who had reported a series of mystical visions upon which she guided the group. The Army of Mary was formally recognized by Archbishop Maurice Roy of Quebec City in 1975, but that approval was rescinded by Cardinal Louis-Albert Vachon in 1987 after a series of disputes about doctrinal issues.
In 2000 the Vatican weighed in on those doctrinal issues. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, acting as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to the Canadian bishops to warn of the "gravely erroneous" material appearing in publications of the Army of God. Among those doctrinal errors was the claim that Marie-Paule Giguere was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary.
The Army of God provoked a fresh confrontation with Church leaders this year when one of its priests, Father Jean-Pierre Mastropietro, attempted to ordain 6 other men without episcopal approval. That action led Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the current head of the Quebec archdiocese, to declare that the ordinations were invalid and those involved had separated themselves from communion with the Catholic Church.
This week's declaration from Rome confirms Cardinal Ouellet's judgment, announcing the excommunication of Father Mastropietro, the men he claimed to have ordained, and other members of the Army of God who "entered into schism by participating in the ordinations."hurch in Canada has taken the lead in excommunications of a number of priests and laity involved with the Army of Mary. An article from Catholic World News offers something interesting for a beautiful pre-Fall Sunday.
The September 12 announcement from the Canadian bishops' conference indicated that the excommunications had been declared by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news).
The Army of Mary was founded in 1971 by Marie-Paule Giguere, who had reported a series of mystical visions upon which she guided the group. The Army of Mary was formally recognized by Archbishop Maurice Roy of Quebec City in 1975, but that approval was rescinded by Cardinal Louis-Albert Vachon in 1987 after a series of disputes about doctrinal issues.
In 2000 the Vatican weighed in on those doctrinal issues. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, acting as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to the Canadian bishops to warn of the "gravely erroneous" material appearing in publications of the Army of God. Among those doctrinal errors was the claim that Marie-Paule Giguere was the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary.
The Army of God provoked a fresh confrontation with Church leaders this year when one of its priests, Father Jean-Pierre Mastropietro, attempted to ordain 6 other men without episcopal approval. That action led Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the current head of the Quebec archdiocese, to declare that the ordinations were invalid and those involved had separated themselves from communion with the Catholic Church.
This week's declaration from Rome confirms Cardinal Ouellet's judgment, announcing the excommunication of Father Mastropietro, the men he claimed to have ordained, and other members of the Army of God who "entered into schism by participating in the ordinations."hurch in Canada has taken the lead in excommunications of a number of priests and laity involved with the Army of Mary. An article from Catholic World News offers something interesting for a beautiful pre-Fall Sunday.
