You may know that the name Easter is taken from the Old English Eostre (also Eastre) as in the Anglo-Saxon month Eostur-monath, the month in which the Christian missionaries to northern Europe were already celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Why did they choose to rename the holiday, when:

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar. In most European languages the feast called Easter in English is termed by the words for passover in those languages and in the older English versions of the Bible the term Easter was the term used to translate passover. (Wikipedia)

It seems that it is for the same reason that the Virgin of Guadelupe appeared in the place sacred to the Aztec goddess Tonantzin, and so became the old goddess in new guise, with new attributes. The Catholic Church has been masterful at coopting and transforming the previous religion’s rituals (e.g. Christmas took off from the old Saturnalia).

Eostre was a goddess. The feasts in her honor were celebrated in the same month as Passover and the Christian resurrection celebrations. There is speculation that she was a spring-like fertility goddess, hence the eggs and bunnies, or hares in the middle ages.

So what better press release to post as we approach the onetime feast of the goddess Eostre and the current core celebration of the Christian year than this, from the Catholic Women’s Ordination Conference?

The Vatican’s Betrayal

Statement from Executive Director Erin Saiz Hanna

WASHINGTON, DC- Tomorrow, Roman Catholics globally will join together for feast of Holy Thursday, to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus the Christ and welcome the Easter Triduum, the holiest days for Catholics. It was during the Last Supper that Jesus gave those gathered a new commandment —to “love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another,” only to be betrayed by Judas.

Like Jesus, Roman Catholics everywhere have been betrayed − again. The latest Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal which implicates Pope Benedict XVI, the former Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger of Munich, in a sex abuse case is beyond belief for Catholics worldwide. How can these crimes still be coming to light when the Vatican has been made aware of the magnitude of the crisis? How is it possible that leaders of the Vatican still have not come clean about pedophile cases that were not properly addressed?

For far too long, the all-male boys club has covered up decades of abuse with lies and secrets that have put our most vulnerable in severe danger, a far cry from Jesus’ commandment to live a life of love.

The Women’s Ordination Conference calls for an official opening of the discussion on women’s ordination. In a church reeling from abuse, scandal, and oppression, it’s long overdue for the Vatican to use all of its resources to work toward a solution.

For far too long, only ordained, male, celibate clergy have dictated-or tried to dictate-how Catholics worship, pray and make decisions. Canon 1024, which states that only men can validly receive the sacrament of ordination, is unjust and does not value the gospel message of Jesus. It must be changed.

We are calling on our members to take action: express their outrage and call for accountability and equality to their local priests and parish leaders, reach out to victims and take steps to make sure children are protected now, write letters to the U.S. Bishops, and discontinue all financial contributions that benefit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

When women are full and equal partners in every aspect of the Catholic Church, only then, will the Roman Catholic Church be associated with accountability, transparency and justice rather than hierarchy, exclusion, and scandal. Until then, we will continue to raise our collective voices andorganize actions that will bring our church closer to the gospel values of Jesus.