A number of online articles published this week have wrongly claimed that the Archbishop of Canterbury described the Catholic Church’s position on women’s ordination as ‘an injustice’.
That claim is false.
According to a statement from Lambeth Palace, ‘the Archbishop of Canterbury categorically did not say – or suggest – that the ban on women’s ordination in the Catholic Church is “an injustice”.’
The statement further explains that an interview given by Sarah Mullally to PA Media while in Rome was manipulated by a YouTube channel, APT, in a way that substantially and materially altered its meaning. This was then picked up by a number of media outlets.
The original exchange is clear: when asked whether women’s ministry had been discussed, the Archbishop declined to comment on the Catholic Church’s internal deliberations:
PA Media: And was the ministry of women discussed at all?
Archbishop: Well, the issue of [women’s] ministry is an issue for the Roman Catholic Church. We met as pastors, and we talked about those issues in the world, like some of the conflicts, and the need for the church to offer hope to people. We talked about his Africa trip, which was really hopeful, full of life and full of joy.
There was no reference here – implicit or explicit – to injustice.
The misleading claim appears to stem from the splicing together of this answer with an entirely separate part of the interview, in which the Archbishop was speaking in general terms about the role of Christian leaders:
PA Media: …how important do you feel it is to speak… to political matters as well as religious?
Archbishop: First and foremost, I am a pastor and a spiritual leader… yes, at times, maybe speaking out where there is injustice, but doing it in a way that is certainly pastor and spiritually grounded.
These remarks were not about women’s ordination, nor about the Catholic Church. Presenting them as such is misleading.
The Catholic Herald deeply regrets that a previously published news article relayed this inaccurate claim. That was an error for which the editors apologise unreservedly. A commentary piece which also referenced the false remark has also been amended and corrected.
We are grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s communications office for moving quickly to ensure the record is corrected.
