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Liberal US catholics dismayed at choice of Pope
Reuters ^

Posted on 04/19/2005 5:13:20 PM PDT by Alex Marko

BOSTON (Reuters) - Liberal U.S. Catholics on Tuesday expressed dismay at the choice of a conservative new pope and doubted he will heal an institution racked by disillusionment and tarnished by a sex abuse scandal among the clergy.

The election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI rankled those who advocate married priests, a bigger role for women within the church and softening its policy on homosexuality, birth control, euthanasia and abortion.

Since taking over the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as the Roman Catholic Church's chief ideologue, Ratzinger has denounced homosexuality and even branded other Christian churches as deficient.

"Gay and lesbian Catholics are going to be very hurt by this election because Cardinal Ratzinger was the lightning rod for so much of the anger they felt under the previous pope," said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the New Ways Ministry, a national ministry for lesbian and gay Catholics.

Under the Pope John Paul II, American Catholics' attendance at weekly Mass declined as many were put off by what they saw as increasingly conservative Vatican doctrine.

The sense of alienation deepened with a well-publicized scandal over pedophile priests, which erupted in 2002 in the Archdiocese of Boston as court documents showed bishops shuttled pedophile priests from parish to parish.

Victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy reacted skeptically to word that Ratzinger was the new pope.

"Ratzinger is a polarizing figure to many, who seems to prefer combativeness to compromise and compassion," Mary Grant of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said in a statement. "It's ... crucial that the new pope follow the words and views of John Paul II who said 'there is no place in the priesthood for anyone who would harm the young."'

MORE OF THE SAME

Catholics for a Free Choice, a progressive group based in Washington, laid out an action plan for the new pontiff to pursue in his first 100 days with the goal of healing fractures within the church.

It urged the new pope to appoint a commission to review church policy on condoms, to establish a pontifical academy on women's rights in the church, and to welcome back those marginalized over the last quarter-century -- including gays and lesbians.

But those familiar with Ratzinger said to expect more of the same, and they doubted he would tailor his views to adapt to the liberal forces evident in the U.S. church.

"This is the guy who's been in charge of stifling dissent in the church," said lawyer Carmen Durso, who represented dozens of plaintiffs in clergy abuse lawsuits against the Boston archdiocese.

"This says to me that the Vatican ... is not prepared to move into the 21st Century, which it desperately needs to do," said Durso, who was raised Catholic but no longer practices.

Christine Schenk, a nun from Cleveland, Ohio, who favors opening the priesthood to married men, said she was disappointed and puzzled by Ratzinger's selection, but she saw glimmers of hope.

Schenk explained that Ratzinger had never ruled out the idea of married priests, and that the church is facing a deepening shortage of priests -- so he may be forced to act.

In a 2004 document, Ratzinger denounced "radical feminism" as undermining the family and natural differences between men and women.

Asked if there was anything in his background that gave her hope that Ratzinger would build a stronger partnership with women in the church, Quinn said: "We always hope for miracles".


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: atheists; benedict; benedictxvi; catholic; cino; crybabies; gnashingofteeth; leftists; letthebashingbegin; liberalcatholics; liberals; pope; progressives; ratzinger; religiousleft; sodomites; sorelosers; wailing; weeping
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To: Alex Marko
Amchurch was put to the vote today in the conclave.

Amchurch lost.

101 posted on 04/19/2005 6:00:49 PM PDT by Jim Noble (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God)
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To: NEBUCHADNEZZAR1961
Antoninus to "liberal" catholics:



Ha, ha.
102 posted on 04/19/2005 6:02:04 PM PDT by Antoninus (Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini, Hosanna in excelsis!)
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To: Kitten Festival

Good point. It appears that Latin America will see an attempt to replace Christianity with a resurgence of "liberation theology". Given the fecklessness of the American liberal churches, they will aid and abet this movement and it will take clarity from the Vatican to help keep it in check.


103 posted on 04/19/2005 6:02:20 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: cyborg
You just don't see nuns anymore. When did this happen?

We have a Benedictine Convent here in St. Marys (duh?), a few of the dear ladies can be seen driving about town in their pickup trucks.

The 'disappearance' of nuns as we know them can be traced directly, IMHO, to the birth control pill and the feminism that drove it. Not only did it teach selfishness and self-absorption, it also drastically reduced the size of Catholic families (the big Catholic families always had an 'extra' child for the vocations).

104 posted on 04/19/2005 6:02:51 PM PDT by Petronski (Pope Benedict XVI: A German Shepherd on the Throne of Peter)
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To: big'ol_freeper
Go find a Protestant church somewhere that shares your views. God knows there are plenty of them out there. They will welcome you

We don't want 'em, either. They've destroyed the Episcopal Church and will, no doubt, be getting on to the others.

Your liberal "Catholics" reject Christianity, not just Roman Catholicism.

You can keep 'em.

105 posted on 04/19/2005 6:02:55 PM PDT by Jim Noble (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God)
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To: Alex Marko

Imagine how dismayed they will be when Kennedy, Kerry, Biden, Lahey, Mikulski and Durbin are all excommunicated.


106 posted on 04/19/2005 6:03:30 PM PDT by reg45
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To: scheuber
Hey, it wasn't us Episcopalians that went around "boofing" alter boys.

No, it was Catholics. But boofing altar boys wasn't policy.

107 posted on 04/19/2005 6:04:33 PM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: Alex Marko
Under the Pope John Paul II, American Catholics' attendance at weekly Mass declined as many were put off by what they saw as increasingly conservative Vatican doctrine.

Attendance may have declined, but how in the hell do they know it's because American Catholics "were put off by what they saw as increasingly conservative Vatican doctrine"?
108 posted on 04/19/2005 6:04:40 PM PDT by Jaysun (I must warn you, I am a black belt in bullshitsu)
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To: Alex Marko
One could hope these liberals would leave the Catholic Church. But like the Democrats that didn't go to Canada after the election, they won't leave but will stay around and whine about everything.
109 posted on 04/19/2005 6:04:49 PM PDT by MisterRepublican
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To: Jim Noble

Someone tell Gene Robinson he's not a christian but a homosexual libertine yet?


110 posted on 04/19/2005 6:05:01 PM PDT by cyborg (Serving fresh, hot Anti-opus since 18 April 2005)
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To: Jim Noble

The AmChurchians are sucking lemons (dusted with alum) today. The evidence of this is very close at hand. **wink**


111 posted on 04/19/2005 6:05:18 PM PDT by Petronski (Pope Benedict XVI: A German Shepherd on the Throne of Peter)
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To: Ann Archy

There are plenty on EWTN. After the Pope's death, I was watching a wonderful show with interviews with faithful YOUNG nuns and hip YOUNG Franciscan priests. It made my heart glad to see the future of the Catholic church!


112 posted on 04/19/2005 6:05:37 PM PDT by GatorGirl (God Bless Pope Benedict XVI)
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To: sinkspur
Actually, it was 4% of priests, and over 11,000 different young people were abused, according to the US Bishops Clergy Review Board.

As usual, you're being disingenuous. This interview, if I remember correctly, came out way before the Review Board report when the true extent of the abuse could only be guessed at.
113 posted on 04/19/2005 6:06:25 PM PDT by Antoninus (Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini, Hosanna in excelsis!)
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To: OK
I heard a while ago that US Catholics are only 6% of the total of world catholics.

Yeah, but there's another story posted that says lots of Third World Catholics are disappointed too, so that means just about everyone doesn't like the new Pope. After all, the MSM said so.

114 posted on 04/19/2005 6:07:15 PM PDT by michaelt
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To: Antoninus
This interview, if I remember correctly, came out way before the Review Board report when the true extent of the abuse could only be guessed at.

Then he shouldn't have guessed.

115 posted on 04/19/2005 6:09:16 PM PDT by sinkspur (If you want unconditional love with skin, and hair and a warm nose, get a shelter dog.)
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To: Alex Marko
Upset? Please watch the C-span speech given by "Gay Gene" Robinson to the Planned Parenthood audience. I watched it on Sunday night, and at first, thought that I had had more wine with dinner that I'd originally thought. Nope. That snotty braggart was sucking up like nothing I've ever seen.

"What your cause and my cause have in common..." was the frame for a long and sleazy lovefest by Gene for Gene. I didn't hear anything about the word of God, so I guess that isn't part of Liberal religious leaders duties.

The conclave did the right thing by Roman Catholics today, and the shrieking wingnuts who defame all religions by pretending to be involved in it can go pound sand.
116 posted on 04/19/2005 6:09:26 PM PDT by ishabibble
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To: Alex Marko
Under the Pope John Paul II, American Catholics' attendance at weekly Mass declined as many were put off by what they saw as increasingly conservative Vatican doctrine.

Of course, what this doesn't say is that those parishes which have suffered the worst and most precipitous decline in attendance are almost universally the most liberal and least Catholic. Coincidence? I don't think so.
117 posted on 04/19/2005 6:09:50 PM PDT by Antoninus (Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini, Hosanna in excelsis!)
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To: LibFreeOrDie
I have not laughed this much in a long time over the nit wittery that Kissling and her ilk are spewing.

Su-weeet

118 posted on 04/19/2005 6:10:27 PM PDT by don-o (Don't be a Freeploader. Do the right thing and become a Monthly Donor!)
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To: HitmanNY

I hope you're not holding your breath while you wait! ;-)

The media wants to paint the entire Catholic Church in America as a bunch of liberal CINOs. If you polled only regular churchgoers instead of those who call themselves Catholic and show up only on Christmas and Easter, I'd suspect that the percentages would be quite different!


119 posted on 04/19/2005 6:10:35 PM PDT by GatorGirl (God Bless Pope Benedict XVI)
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To: OK
I heard a while ago that US Catholics are only 6% of the total of world catholics.

60 million out of 1.1 billion, sounds close to 6% to me.

120 posted on 04/19/2005 6:11:42 PM PDT by NeoCaveman (habemus papum, Benedict XVI)
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