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.
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