CBS News
New York women leading rebel movement in hopes of inspiring change in the Catholic Church
Across the United States, the issue of women clergy is currently a focal point in several Christians denominations, including the Catholic Church, where women are not allowed to be ordained.
The CBS Mornings series, “The State of Spirituality with Lisa Ling,” explores unique paths to faith, spirituality and religion. The latest installment of the series focuses on women in Albany, New York, leading a grassroots rebel movement in support of women clergy.
Around 52 million Americans identify as Catholic. According to Pew Research, around 64% of U.S. Catholics support the idea of women priests, but for hundreds of years, only men have been allowed to become ordained clergy.
“I think they’re afraid of change,” Bridget Mary Meehan said.
Meehan and Mary Theresa Streck are both part of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests—a worldwide movement advocating for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church. The women part of this movement are ordaining themselves in direct defiance of the Vatican.
Inside a warehouse-looking building in upstate New York, the rebels who are part of this movement convene for Sunday mass, hoping to inspire change.
“Change begins by somebody doing it,” Streck said.
Streck, along with congregants, are part of the Upper Room. It is described as an inclusive Catholic Community, where all are welcome. Streck, a woman priest part of the movement, presides over Sunday mass.
“People are looking for what we’re offering,” she said. “And they want to see ordained women, celebrating mass.”
The day CBS News visited the Upper Room, the sermon was delivered by Meehan, a bishop within the movement.
“Mary Magdalen’s energy rises up in us and inspires us to create a renewed model of church,” she preached.
The Roman Catholic Church does not allow women to be ordained, arguing in part, that clergy should be unmarried men in the image of Jesus and his 12 disciples. The women who are part of this movement disagree and have formed a resistance.
The Albany Diocese, in a statement to CBS News, said: “The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany is not affiliated with this group.” The Vatican did not respond to our requests for comment.
While other Christian denominations, like the Episcopal Church, do allow women clergy, these women say they have decided to remain Catholic, even if the church does not recognize them.
“It’s in my bones,” Streck said. “I am a Roman Catholic.”
A turning point for some
Like many organized religions in the 21st Century, Catholic Church membership is declining. Those who have left often say its because of the way the church has dealt with sexual abuse claims involving priests, as well as how the church has historically handled divorce, the LGBTQ+ community and women.
“I think the Catholic Church left me,” Upper Room parishioner Timothy Perry-Coon said, but added the women priests helped bring him back to Catholicism.
“We are the Catholic Church here, too,” he said.
For many who attend the Upper Room, 2010 marked a turning point with their Catholic faith, after the Vatican listed ordaining women as a grave offense— alongside pedophilia.
How the movement began and progressed
The Catholic women priest movement is traced back to 2002—when seven women were ordained on the Danube River in Germany. The Vatican excommunicated all known to be involved and said all those who come after are also considered excommunicated.
“Our response was we do not accept this excommunication,” Meehan said. “We’re leading the church we love into a renewed model of priestly ministry to respond to the needs of Catholics all over the world.”
Both Streck and Meehan are former nuns, raised devout and proud Catholics.
“By the time I was in third grade…I wanted to be a nun. I knew in third grade,” Streck said.
At just 17 years old, Mary Theresa says she was called to join The Sisters of St. Joseph. That was until 18 years later, when another call came—love.
“I met a young priest,” Streck explained. “I knew that I loved him dearly and he loved me dearly. So, we both resigned.”
But Streck said her faith never wavered, “I think it was stronger than ever.”
Streck and her husband, Jay, would get married within the public housing project where they ministered and continued to minister for many years, even after renouncing their vows. But after Jay died of cancer, Streck began to explore a new call: The priesthood. It’s a call she said she knows her husband would have supported.
She said in her first phone call about becoming a woman priest, Meehan told her if she pursued this, she would be excommunicated.
“And I said, ‘okay, well, that’s, that doesn’t mean anything really, because I will continue doing everything that I’m doing,'” Streck said she responded.
In 2013, hundreds attended as Meehan ordained Streck in Albany. It was a first in the area.
“And since 2013… we have 10 women who have been ordained,” Streck explained. “And I think people are saying, well, I’m not going to wait for the church to decide it’s okay.”
Around 300 women worldwide have now been ordained within the larger movement. Streck and Meehan both have doctorate degrees in ministry and have created a process and seminary curriculum for ordination. Yet, Streck and Meehan acknowledge they may never see women priests accepted in the Roman Catholic church.
“But that’s not a good reason not to do it,” Streck said.
Earlier this year, in a rare interview, the Pope addressed the issue of women clergy with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell.
“For a little girl growing up Catholic today, will she ever have the opportunity to be a deacon and participate as a clergy member in the church?” O’Donnell asked him.
“No,” Pope Francis responded.
But Streck and Meehan said that won’t stop them. They hope they are laying the groundwork for future generations of women priests. If they were given the opportunity to speak with the Pope or those in the Vatican, both women said they would tell them they love the Catholic Church.
“Do not be afraid of us,” Streck said. “We have a lot to offer.”
Meehan added, “We spent our whole lives just creating a church where there’s more justice, more equality and that everyone is so welcome at the table of God’s love.”
CBS News
North Carolina governor’s race rocked by CNN report on Mark Robinson’s alleged incendiary comments
Editor’s note: This story contains highly offensive language.
Washington — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, posted a slew of incendiary, explicit and racist comments on a pornographic website more than a decade ago, according to a CNN investigation released Thursday that has shaken the state’s gubernatorial race.
The report focused on comments made by an account with the name “minisoldr” on a pornographic website called Nude Africa between 2008 and 2012. The account used the name “mark robinson” in its profile and a number of biographical details posted by the account line up with Robinson’s own history, according to CNN. The network reported that Robinson appeared to use the account name on other platforms over the years, including YouTube and Pinterest, and that the email address associated with the account belonged to Robinson.
On the Nude Africa forum, the user expressed a desire to “bring [slavery] back” and “buy a few” slaves, while identifying himself as a “black NAZI,” according to CNN.
“Slavery is not bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it (slavery) back. I would certainly buy a few,” the account wrote in a discussion about Black Republicans in 2010, according to CNN.
“I like watching tranny on girl porn!” the minisoldr account also posted on Nude Africa, according to CNN. “That’s f****** hot! It takes the man out while leaving the man in! And yeah I’m a ‘perv’ too!”
In March 2012, minisoldr posted a preference for Hitler over former President Barack Obama’s administration: “I’d take Hitler over any of the s*** that’s in Washington right now!”
Minisoldr also used racist language to vilify civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr.
“I’m not in the KKK. They don’t let blacks join. If I was in the KKK I would have called him Martin Lucifer Koon!” the account posted in October 2011, according to CNN.
Reports emerged earlier Thursday that CNN was planning to publish a damaging story that could lead other Republicans to call on Robinson to drop out of the race. In a video posted to X before the CNN story was published, Robinson flatly denied that he said anything in the CNN report and insisted he won’t drop out. North Carolina will begin mailing ballots to members of the military and voters outside the U.S. on Friday.
“The things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” Robinson said in his video. “You know my words, you know my character and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before.”
Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Robinson echoed those comments in an interview with CNN. “This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me,” Robinson said, adding that he wouldn’t “get into the minutia of how somebody manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies” when presented with evidence that the account belonged to him.
Robinson, who is 56 and married with two children, has a history of inflammatory remarks that have widely circulated since he won the state’s Republican primary in March. Serving as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor since 2021, he gained prominence in Republican circles after he delivered a pro-gun rights speech that went viral and kickstarted his political career. He’s made inflammatory comments across a number of topics — from Islam to abortion to feminism — but he’s been especially vocal on LGBTQ+ issues.
If elected, Robinson would become the first Black governor of North Carolina. Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Robinson for governor, has referred to him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
The lieutenant governor blamed the CNN report on his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.
“You all have seen the half truths and outright lies of Josh Stein,” Robinson said, claiming that Stein leaked the story to CNN.
The report’s release has spurred concern among Republicans about their nominee’s prospects in the coming election. Sen. Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican, told reporters ahead of its release on Thursday that “North Carolinian voters are smart, and they know how to pick each and every candidate based on their own merits.”
When asked whether Robinson should step down, Budd said he didn’t have enough information.
“They’ve been assaulting him for years,” Budd said before the article was published. “We’re going to gather our facts through the weekend.”
contributed to this report.
Certain boxes of waffles sold at Costco Wholesale stores in the Midwest are being recalled because they may contain plastic, according to a notice by supplier Kodiak Cakes.
The recall involves Kodiak Power Waffles Buttermilk & Vanilla 40 count with the UPC code 705599019203 and a use-by date of Jan. 10, 2026, and only impacts products with the lot code 24193-WL4 and a time stamp of 12:00-23:00, according to the Park City, Utah-based company.
The recalled products were sold at Costco warehouses in 13 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The action was initiated “due to the potential presence of soft plastic film,” according to Kodiak, which noted that no injuries or illnesses had been reported.
Those who purchased the recalled product can return it to their local Costco for a refund.
People with questions can email Kodiak at: flapjacks@kodiakcakes.com or call 801-328-4067. Messages will be returned between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mountain time, Monday through Friday.
Tyson Foods is misleading shoppers and investors over its ability to reach “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050 as well take other steps aimed at protecting the environment.
Tyson, the world’s second-biggest meat processor, should have to curtail its climate claims or release a substantial plan to support its claims, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by the Environmental Working Group. The complaint is part of an effort to “hold the biggest, most powerful contributors to the climate crisis — across industries — accountable for greenwashing,” EWG stated.
Tyson Foods has said since 2021 that it would hit net-zero emissions — the point at which the amount of greenhouse gases a company emits is offset by the emissions that are removed from the atmosphere — by 2050 by using more renewable energy and no longer contributing to deforestation.
The Arkansas-based meat company also sells a brand of “climate-friendly” beef that Tyson says is made with 10% fewer emissions than conventional meat.
A spokesperson said Tyson does not comment on litigation, but defended the company’s “long history of sustainable practices.”
The suit against Tyson was filed in Washington, D.C., which has a consumer protection law in place that lets consumer groups sue companies for false advertising.
The same claim of greenwashing — a term attributed to environmentalist Jay Westerveld that refers to making false or misleading statements about the environmental benefits of a product or service — was made in February in a suit filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James against JBS, the world’s largest beef producer, over its claim it would reach net-zero emissions by 2040.
James’ suit against the Brazilian meat conglomerate came after Earthjustice successfully challenged JBS’ environmental messaging before an ad industry self-regulatory organization in 2023.
Livestock production accounts for 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally, with cattle responsible for two-thirds of the total, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
The Science-Based Targets Initiative, a UN-backed agency that reviews net-zero goals, is calling for the food and agricultural sector to reduce its emissions by 3% annually between 2020 and 2030.
Delta Air Lines last year dismissed as “without legal merit” a suit filed by a passenger that alleged the airline’s claim to be “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline” to be marketing spin. Coca-Cola is currently defending itself in a similar case in which the beverage make is accused of overstating its recycling efforts.
North Carolina governor’s race rocked by CNN report on Mark Robinson’s alleged incendiary comments
Costco supplier recalls waffles sold at warehouse stores in 13 states
Tyson Foods misleads shoppers about its carbon emissions, climate group says
North Carolina governor’s race rocked by CNN report on Mark Robinson’s alleged incendiary comments
Costco supplier recalls waffles sold at warehouse stores in 13 states