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".
I think the Vatican has done this? Contracted out to the ECUSA to study and test case these policies... so far, I heard the results are dismal. ;-)
That would be good, too, but the sore will fester as long as BXVI ignores it, or thinks it's a media conspiracy.
'Lots' is rather vague. 10 percent would still be 'lots'.
Let's hear it all together now for the liberals..................
OOOOOOOhhhhhhhh, soooo, sorry!
Lots of angels getting wings henceforth.
BTW, I like your new tagline too.
Amen.
My bishop is my boss.
I am expecting to be pleasantly surprised by BXVI. He knows he has to be pastor to all the people, which is completely unlike his previous position.
Funded by athiest George Soros.
Gee, maybe the liberal 'CINO's', should break away and form their OWN brand of Catholic church...and elect their OWN flavor of a pope.
WTF? Bush isn't Catholic.
"Liberal U.S. Catholics...
Talk about an oxymoron."
When I finally got to this thread, your words were my words exactly!
Thank you!
Pope Benedict XVI needs to make a sincere PUBLIC apology:
Dear People of the World,
Today I apologize for the imprudent, nay, diabolic, acts of the hierarchy of our Church over the last60 years.
We knew that homosexual men would molest teenage boys, but we let them into our seminaries anyhow.
In atonement for this sin, I hereby direct ALL dioceses in the world to resume actively screening out homosexuals from Holy Orders, and to begin removing ALL priests who are known to have been homosexually active in the last ten years.
N.B.: If you are a homosexual bishop, this includes you. Good luck in your new job.
Sincerely,
Pope Benedict XVII, The Hammer.
You are being pinged because you previously requested to be added to my personal "orthodox Catholics" ping list. If you would like to be added or removed, please send me a FReepmail. --Dr. Brian Kopp (Polycarp IV)
Nah, he's just being realistic about it and putting it in proper perspective. Bulk of the problem was chicken-hawking gay priests, not really pedophiles, per se. He's got an accurate bead on the sick fascination of the press in gleefully reporting every sin of the Catholic Church. The press has the right address of the institution they need to go after to really get the world inescapably hurtling toward total secularism.
"LIberal Catholics" -- I always chuckle when I read that term. Those folks need to get a clue; either you believe what the Church teaches, or you don't. If you don't, then please take care not to let the door hit you on your way out.
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