Canon Lawyer, Dr Ed Peters writes:

While sacrilege is never funny, there is something comical about the recent spate of ladies climbing into river boats and play-acting as bishops and priests. Philippe Cardinal Barbarin however, second youngest elector in the College of Cardinals, was not amused when it occurred in the portion of the Lord’s vineyard entrusted to his care (Lyons, France) and yesterday he excommunicated a woman who was “ordained” a-boating by three other women (two of whom had already been excommunicated in late 2002 by then-Cardinal Ratzinger of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, subsequent to their own “ordinations”—admittedly on a different river). But behind the Lyon and CDF edicts of excommunication, which sensible Catholics are likely to regard as canonical “no-brainers”, there is, I suggest, at least one, perhaps two, aspects of Church law undergoing development here.

To find out what, go to: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/enpeters/blog.htm