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Articles: Catholic bishops to work on ending rifts

Posted by admin on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 01:39 AM

In a private retreat this week, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops will discuss some internal church rifts that have become uncomfortably public — over the clergy sex abuse crisis and, separately, Holy Communion and politics.
Bishops disagree on whether Catholic lawmakers at odds with church teaching should receive the sacrament. They’ve sparked a national debate on the issue as a Catholic who supports abortion rights — John Kerry — is poised to become the Democratic nominee for president. The bishops also will decide whether to override the objections of some U.S. church leaders and authorize a second round of audits of American dioceses — reviews that are aimed at determining whether the dioceses are doing enough to combat the molestation scandal. Bishops hope to emerge from the weeklong meeting, which starts Monday in Englewood, Colo., with a more unified message on both fronts, church observers say. “When everybody looks at the Catholic Church, they equate it with the hierarchy, and they think the hierarchy speaks with one voice or one mind,” said David Gibson, a former Vatican newsman and author of “The Coming Catholic Church.” “What these various controversies has shown is the reality that they’re not united, that they have enormous differences of opinion within their own ranks.” Each bishop decides policy on interacting with politicians for his own diocese, and even officials in the Vatican have noted the American discord. This week’s meeting is a special spiritual assembly that bishops hold every five years behind closed doors, with some time set aside for business. Even though there are no public sessions, protests are planned by groups representing abuse victims, lay reformers, anti-abortion activists — who want bishops to take a harder line against pro-abortion rights politicians — and advocates for optional celibacy for clergy.

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