Dr Una Kroll meets her maker

  Dr Una Kroll                                    Source; Bury Times

Dr Una Kroll, feminist campaigner and prominent activist in the movement for the ordination of women has died in Bury aged 91. Given her chameleon approach to faith one wonders what sort of reception she had at the pearly gates. 

Described as "An inspirational woman famed for her humanitarian work", she had been a doctor, nun, a feminist campaigner and an activist for peace and justice. In 1997 when living in Wales she became a priest but "shocked admirers and friends" by publicly leaving the priesthood she had so long campaigned to be part of. 

The Rev'd Dave Thompson of St John with St Marks Church in Bury summed up her priesthood when he said, “She was a remarkable woman who influenced the church in matters of equality and campaigned tirelessly for women’s rights".  

That is the nub of it. She and her fellow campaigners have achieved the 'equality' they wanted but at the expense of others who have struggled to keep the faith instead of bending scripture and tradition to satisfy their own desires. That is what much of Western Anglicanism has been reduced to.

Writing for the Church Times Linda Hurcombe explains: Information in this article is from a recent interview with the Revd Dr Kroll for Christian Voices Coming Out, a heritage project that captures the stories of pioneering LGBT Christians, and their advocates and allies.

That is the package today. Feminism and LGBT issues, using the church as a vehicle for women's rights regardless of the consequences.

How many people have been led astray by the spiteful organisation WATCH which has urged others to follow their example rather than the example of Christ? Clergy who have determined which way the wind blows, ambitious bishops exercising their liberal credentials and laity who have felt that they have no option other than to go with the flow. They have all become victims of 'equality'.

The saddest thing about these 'pioneering' women is that they appear blind to the disastrous effect they have had on the church as attendance continues to fall. Not content with having achieved their original goal they are now campaigning to change the Lord's prayer to 'Our Mother who art in heaven...'. How long before there are calls for three Queens representing the nature of humanity at Epiphany?

Una Kroll was ordained to the priesthood in Wales by a strong supporter of the ordination of women, Dr Rowan Williams when he was Bishop of Monmouth. Dr Kroll later gave up the priesthood to become a Roman Catholic claiming that she wanted to support RC women claiming to be called by God thus leading even more astray.

A convert to Anglicanism Una Kroll was a nun who married a monk. Clearly she did what she pleased regardless of the consequences for others despite her 'humanitarian' credentials. She may have been a remarkable woman among those who 'influenced the church in matters of equality' but their idea of equality has not been extended to others. Their intransigence was later to cause Rowan Williams great difficulties when he became Archbishop of Canterbury as they obstructed moves to provide alternative episcopal oversight for Anglicans opposed on theological grounds to the sacramental ministry of women.

Many faithful Anglicans who showed charity in accommodating the desires of these women have since discovered to their cost, that their church has left them. This is particularly so in Wales where women were successful in ensuring that there will be no provision for alternative oversight. I have seen no evidence of a campaign for equality on behalf of the excluded.

What, one wonders, did St Peter make of that at the pearly gates?