NEW YORK (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI may not see them or hear them, but aggrieved Roman Catholic activists hope his U.S. visit this week will help them draw attention to issues ranging from the ordination of women and gay rights to sex abuse by priests and the Vatican ban on contraception.
The groups have planned vigils, demonstrations and news conferences to press their causes as the pope visits Washington and New York. On Monday evening, the eve of his arrival, supporters of women's ordination will host what they are calling "an inclusive Mass" at a Methodist church in Washington, presided over by Catholic women — including two who were recently excommunicated.
"We cannot welcome this pope until he begins to do away with the church's continuing violence of sexism," said Sister Donna Quinn, coordinator of the National Coalition of American Nuns.
Participants in the service will include Rose Marie Hudson and Elsie McGrath, who were excommunicated last month by Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis because they were ordained as part of a women-priest movement condemned by the Vatican.
"In the face of one closed door after another, Catholic women have been innovative, courageous and faithful to the church," said Aisha Taylor, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference. "They continue to make a way where is none."
Gay Catholic activists, who plan to demonstrate Tuesday along the papal motorcade route in Washington, have compiled a list of statements by Benedict during his career which they consider hostile to gays and lesbians. These include forceful denunciations of gay marriage and of adoption rights for same-sex couples.
"He has issued some of the most hurtful and extreme rhetoric against our community of any religious leader in history, and we want to call him into account for the damage that he's done," said Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA.
Duddy-Burke said she hopes the protests will be coupled with celebration of the gains made by gay Catholics in America in recent years. She cited the growing number of parishes welcoming openly gay members and the dozens of Catholic colleges that now have gay-straight alliances.
Another gay Catholic group, New Ways Ministry, hosted a news conference at which speakers conveyed what they would tell the pope if they had the opportunity. The speakers included Gregory Maguire, author of the best-selling novel "Wicked," who along with husband Andrew Newman is raising three adopted children as Catholics in Massachusetts, the only state to allow same-sex marriages.
"We invite you to spend a day, a meal, a weekend with us," Maguire said in his message to the pope. "We don't want to serve as a poster-family for gay Catholics. ... We will just be ourselves, in all our confusion, aspiration, need and joy."
Another divisive issue being raised this week is the Vatican's ban on contraception. Gay rights groups and others say the ban undermines programs promoting condom use to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.
In a conference call Monday organized by Catholics for Choice, four Catholic theologians will be examining the impact of the 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae," which defined the Vatican's opposition to artificial birth control.
"Catholics wonder why there's this huge disparity between what the hierarchy says we should do in regard to contraception and what Catholics on the ground actually do," said Catholics for Choice president Jon O'Brien.
He termed the ban "a great tragedy ... a policy that lacks compassion and understanding."
Asked about the prospects that Benedict might reconsider the ban, O'Brien replied, "I do believe in miracles."
For many American Catholics, the most distressing church-related issue of recent years has been clerical sex abuse. Thousands of molestation allegations have been filed against Catholic clergy, and dioceses have paid out more than $2 billion in claims since 1950.
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abuse by Priests, said his advocacy group would not be mollified even if the pope meets privately with abuse victims.
"Extraordinarily few Catholics and victims will be moved in any way by gestures, words, tokens," Clohessy said. "It's as plain as day that three years into his papacy, Benedict has done literally nothing to protect the vulnerable or heal the wounded."
Clohessy said his group will make use of the papal visit to press for tough disciplinary action against bishops who covered up abuses by their priests and to urge pre-emptive steps by the Vatican against abuse by priests in other nations.
Clohessy expressed disappointment that the pope was not visiting Boston, where the scandal burst into the national spotlight in 2002.
"Showing a willingness to visit the epicenter of the crisis — that would have been one gesture that might have been effective," Clohessy said.
Voice of the Faithful, a Boston-based reform group which emerged from the scandal, placed a full-page ad last week in The New York Times, costing more than $50,000, to air its call for a transformation of the church.
The ad urged Benedict to meet with abuse victims, oust bishops who covered up abuse and promote a greater role for lay Catholics in running their parishes.
The extent to which the pope addresses the varied grievances during his trip remains unknown. But the Vatican's envoy to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, said any dissent that might arise was regrettable.
"Even in the Catholic church, nobody has the right to instrumentalize the visit of the pope to serve their personal interests," Sambi told the National Catholic Reporter. "The problem is that there are too many people here who would like to be the pope ... and who attribute to themselves a strong sense of their own infallibility."
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments
I'm pleased to see pastors from other churches defend the Catholic church. I find it interesting that most people look down on us because they don't know anything about us. It's so easy to pass judgment without actually doing any research. I am a Catholic and I believe that we are the church founded by Christ. Christ himself said the church would be attacked but nothing could ever destroy it. As far as Gay Catholics, the church does not ban the individual but the act, in accordance with what's in the bible. We are merely following the word of God. God bless all of you.
JonnyBlad,
Thanks for sharing.
Pimp My Religious Leader
http://poleblog.polemos.net/2008/04/pimp-my-religious-leader.html
"There are not more than 100 people who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church. " Fulton Sheen.
The comments I read every time there is a story about Catholics - any Catholics - support Bishop Sheen's observation. Many, many, many will criticize the Catholic Church, but very, very, very few can actually hold an intelligent conversation concerning what Catholics actually believe.
pburwell-
You are right, the Pope alone does not save, nor does mary, nor does idolatry. (Asking Mary to pray for you is not idolatry) is it idolatry when you ask a Reverand or whatever God-comparing term you call them? No... it isn't, grow up. But as all Non-Catholic Christian faiths have shown, an infallible scripture means nothing without an infallible interpreter. I admonish anyone that gave you a thumb's up. Your responses concerning Catholic beliefs were obviously ill-researched... Does lynching people save you? Yoyu Protties know ALL about that, don't you? Huh? Those three black men that went "missing" after being picked up by an ironically Protestant police officer? Then three days later they were found hanging from a tree... Does THAT save you? What about burning Catholic Churches? Does THAT save you? What about going in and completely ruining Ireland? Does THAT save you?
Shame on a lot of you on this board for your anti-Catholic tirades. It is shameful and not Christian at all! Being slanderous is not a Christian virtue. The Pope is a Christian and the leader of the largest Christian Church. I may not agree with him on various points of doctrine, but then again I don't agree very often with Fundamentalist or Baptists. As a Reformed Church Pastor, and after reading a great deal on Catholicism, I tend to find many things that we Protestants think the Catholics think and they do not.
Let's allow Catholics to speak for their own faith and not insert our thoughts. While we may disagree on areas of doctrine, I have yet to find a doctrine of theirs that specifically denies that Jesus is God, that he died for our sins and that his death was insufficient. I accept them as Christians just as much as I do with Lutherans, Presbyterians, and many others.
When are we going to stop tearing down each other and build up the body of Christ? I am so sick of all of our divisions!
I think a lot of these Posts below are sad. As a Pastor, I did not find the Pope's remarks at odds with the continous position of the RCC. He was making a theological statement that was to be heard of by Theologians and not regular people like most of you.
The Historical Church always had Priests, Bishops and Deacons and celebrated a Eucharist and because we non-Catholic Christians neither have the same hiearchy nor the Eucharist it is an accurate statement if that is how you define "Church". While we may not have these things we are still churches, but as I've been finishing my Doctorate I have found that we Protestants have a less Biblical hiearchy and less historical worship ceremony. My goal of my paper is to find out why and when we lost these things.
We must continue to reach out to Catholics because truly when their Pope talks people listen, much like that of those old EF HUTTON commercials. We Protestants and Evangelicals do not have such a figure and it is difficult to ever appoint someone who speaks for all non-Catholic Christians when there is so much division even within my own denomination. Thank God this Pope has the Moral high ground and I pray that all Christians will listen to what he says and pray.
Needless to say, that America is being overrun by her minorities.
Why would anybody listen to somebody named Gregory who is married to somebody named Andrew, stating that they are holier than most everybody else. Laughable
American Sodomites always looking for global Church recognition, do not hold your breath.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
ML,
"The pope directly said that the only true church is the Roman Catholic Church. And thus, the pope denies all Protestants and their churches. Thus he has condemned himself. The pope has a faulty theology, and is against the Bible which accepts all the churches who put true faith in Christ."
Jesus only founded one church. Also, it depends on what you mean by 'church.'
pburwell,
"Enough with the nonsense. Only Jesus Saves. PERIOD. No pope, no priest, no Mary worship, or any other idolatry, will change the truth that only by Y'Shua, Jesus the Messiah, can you be forgiven your Law violations."
The pope and the Catholic Church would agree. The Catholic Church has never taught that Pope Benedict XVI is the savior.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me – John 14:6.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ – 1Corinthians 3:11.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved – Acts 4:12.
God Bless you .... pburwell...you are right on target!!!!
The pope directly said that the only true church is the Roman Catholic Church. And thus, the pope denies all Protestants and their churches. Thus he has condemned himself. The pope has a faulty theology, and is against the Bible which accepts all the churches who put true faith in Christ. Poop on the pope !
Enough with the nonsense. Only Jesus Saves. PERIOD. No pope, no priest, no Mary worship, or any other idolatry, will change the truth that only by Y'Shua, Jesus the Messiah, can you be forgiven your Law violations. YAHWEH is God the Father and Y'Shua is the Son and Messiah. No Jew, no Muslim, no Catholic, no Baptist, no Buddhist, and no Secularist can be saved by any other means but reliance in, repentance and surrender to Jesus as LORD, Messiah and God. Jesus came to save but only those who will submit to Yahweh in penitence. Repenting is not a work any more than begging forgiveness when you sin against anyone else. WAKE UP and receive the Mercy of Yahweh while you still can.
Patrick J Burwell / OnlyJesusSaves.com
The day the RCC or Orthodox allow women priests or bishops, or that they embrace homosexuality, is the day that they would lose all credibility. Glad to see they are not budging on these issues.