A bishop acting unilaterally gets the kind of reaction Donoghue got. He can either learn from it, and consult his priests next time, or continue to have his authority undermined.
Donoghue should take the model of collegiality John Paul II uses. He can still impose his male-only directive, but at least the priests will have been consulted on the matter.
A question for you. Can the proper relationship between the priests of a diocese and the bishop really be compared to the relationship between the bishops and the Roman Pontiff? Lumen Gentium calls priests "assistants" and "helpers" to the bishop and says that "they are dependent on the bishops in the exercise of their power". This is certainly a different relationship than that between the Supreme Pontiff and the other bishops, who are vicars of Christ in their own right and not mere vicars of the Pontiff. St. Ignatius of Antioch says in the epistle to the Magnesians:
the bishop presiding after the likeness of God and the presbyters after the likeness of the council of the Apostles
Certainly there was no "model of collegiality" between God and the apostles!
Recognizing this, perhaps a more monarchical authority might be expected from the diocesan bishop over the presbyterate and diaconate as opposed to the relationship between the Pope and college of bishops? Really, in a case like this where the bishop is simply supporting the law of the Church, as opposed to enacting particular law or some other personal initiative, why should consulting the priests be necessary? There is, after all, nothing to discuss, as the Archbishop is simply reminding his priests of the existing directives, not changing anything.
He's changing a practice that has been ongoing for over 20 years, and that is still ongoing in most dioceses around the country. All of a sudden, Donoghue decides to enforce something he hasn't enforced
If he wants to act unilaterally, and without explanation, he should not be surprised at this reaction.
If he wants to kill the washing of the feet ceremony in Atlanta, he couldn't do a better job of it if he issued another of his directives.
That occurred to me as well. Kinds of relationships need not be universally aplied. The relationship with one's spouse is not necessarily the one you would apply to your children, not that priests are children, but there is a marked difference between the pope and the bishops and that of bishops and priests. A creeping egalitarianism to suggest that collegiality be universally applied?