Women ‘priests’ face Vatican excommunication

The Vatican today warned seven women who claim to be priests in defiance of the Catholic Church’s ban on female clergy that they will be excommunicated if they do not repent soon.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of Pope John Paul’s most trusted collaborators, set a July 22 deadline for the women to ‘‘acknowledge the nullity of the ‘orders’ they have received from a schismatic bishop in contradiction to the definitive doctrine of the Church, and state their repentance and ask forgiveness for the scandal caused to the faithful.’’