Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Progressive Catholics Outline Priorities for New Pope
Pope John Paul II's departure has left countless people around the world mourning and anticipating what the next pontiff's priorities will be. Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call To Action, the nation's largest church reform group, stated, "We are hoping for a pope who forcefully spreads the message of peace and non-violence..."
Progressive Catholics Outline Priorities for New Pope
4/6/2005 1:47:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Linda Pieczynski, 630-655-8783 or 630-399-6924 (cell) or 630-323-6924 (home), Crystal Chan, 773-404-0004 ext. 285 or 773-262-7202 (home), both of Call To Action
CHICAGO, April 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Pope John Paul II's departure has left countless people around the world mourning and anticipating what the next pontiff's priorities will be. Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call To Action, the nation's largest church reform group, stated, "We are hoping for a pope who forcefully spreads the message of peace and non-violence throughout the world in these troubled times as did Pope John Paul II. It is critical to continue his legacy in that area. But, the Church needs a leader who also listens to all the people of the Church because the Holy Spirit lives and breathes through all of us as the body of Christ. The new pope must recognize that there is wisdom to be shared by the laity which will assist him in confronting those matters left undone by the previous pope, especially on issues of human sexuality. He may also need to distance himself from some of the positions taken by Pope John Paul II in order to deal with the important issues facing the institution."
"For example, the next pope must take action regarding the priest shortage which threatens the sacramental life of Catholics. There are over 3,000 parishes in the United States without a priest and there are many priests who are pastors of multiple parishes. We hope that the new pope recognizes the necessity of lifting the mandatory celibacy ban," said Pieczynski.
"We are hoping that the bishops will see the need to select someone who will be collegial in his interactions with them and less authoritarian in dealing with those who disagree with him so that creativity is not suppressed and theological development may flourish in academic freedom. We also strongly encourage him to adopt the recommendation from the National Review Board -- a lay group the bishops created to address the sex abuse crisis -- that there be lay involvement in the selection of bishops. We need to build structures in our church which reflect a more participatory structure."
The women's role in the Church will continue to be a major issue despite the previous pope's ban on discussing women's ordination. "According to a recent AP poll, most American Catholics, 60 percent, said women should be allowed to become priests," Pieczynski pointed out. "The importance of integrating women fully into all church ministries is not only an issue of justice and equality for all members of the Church, but an acceptance of God's calling of women to the priesthood, which will not go away. The Church needs the fullness of the gifts women bring to the Church," declared Pieczynski. "Women will be closely monitoring how the next pope approaches this issue."
"We pray for a new pope who is a healer, who will reach out to victims of sexual abuse and who will promote reconciliation instead of polarization between Catholics within the Church. No matter who is selected, we have faith that the Holy Spirit will lead the Church on a path that will take us to new and surprising places we could never dream of for ourselves," concluded Pieczynski.
------
Call To Action is the largest Catholic church reform group in the U.S., composed of 25,000 laity, religious, priests and bishops and 40 local chapters. It advocates reforms in the Catholic Church such as the ordination of women; optional celibacy for priests; change in birth control teaching; Church financial and leadership accountability; equality for homosexuals and minority groups; clergy sex abuse reforms; and focus on the church's peace and social justice teaching. Their comprehensive web site is: http://www.cta-usa.org.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
-0-
/© 2005 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
I didn't know that the new Pope was a homophobe? Why is that? Does he have nightmares about being chased by people from the GLBT community? If he does have a "phobia" (irrational fear) isn't it a little insensitive and intolerant to openly label him like this?
Would someone who opposes Bush be a "Bushophobe?"
How about the war on terror, a "combataphobe?"
How about someone on a diet, would they be an "obeseophobe?"
This is really ridiculous to promote hate by labeling people this way.
Would someone who opposes Bush be a "Bushophobe?"
How about the war on terror, a "combataphobe?"
How about someone on a diet, would they be an "obeseophobe?"
This is really ridiculous to promote hate by labeling people this way.
Apr. 20, 2005 12:20 | Updated Apr. 20, 2005 22:30
Pope to hold dialogues with other religions
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
VATICAN CITY
Pope Benedict XVI pledged Wednesday to work to unify all Christians, reach out to other religions and continue implementing the Second Vatican Council as he outlined his goals and made clear his pontificate would follow closely the trajectory of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, listed top priorities of his pontificate in a message read in Latin to cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel for the first Mass celebrated by the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
He said his "primary task" would be to work without fail to reunify all Christians and that sentiment alone was not enough. "Concrete acts that enter souls and move consciences are needed," he said.
He said he wanted to continue "an open and sincere dialogue" with other religions and would do everything in his power to improve the ecumenical cause.
The message was clearly designed to show that Benedict was intent on following many of the groundbreaking paths charted by Pope John Paul II, who had made reaching out to other religions and trying to heal the 1,000-year-old schism in Christianity a hallmark of his pontificate.
Benedict referred to John Paul several times in his message, including a reference to the late pope's final will, where John Paul said he hoped new generations would draw on the work of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meeting that modernized the church.
"I too ... want to affirm with decisive willingness to follow in the commitment of carrying out the Second Vatican Council, in the wake of my predecessors and in faithful continuity with the 2,000-year-old tradition of the church," he said.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1113963507101
Pope to hold dialogues with other religions
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
VATICAN CITY
Pope Benedict XVI pledged Wednesday to work to unify all Christians, reach out to other religions and continue implementing the Second Vatican Council as he outlined his goals and made clear his pontificate would follow closely the trajectory of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, listed top priorities of his pontificate in a message read in Latin to cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel for the first Mass celebrated by the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
He said his "primary task" would be to work without fail to reunify all Christians and that sentiment alone was not enough. "Concrete acts that enter souls and move consciences are needed," he said.
He said he wanted to continue "an open and sincere dialogue" with other religions and would do everything in his power to improve the ecumenical cause.
The message was clearly designed to show that Benedict was intent on following many of the groundbreaking paths charted by Pope John Paul II, who had made reaching out to other religions and trying to heal the 1,000-year-old schism in Christianity a hallmark of his pontificate.
Benedict referred to John Paul several times in his message, including a reference to the late pope's final will, where John Paul said he hoped new generations would draw on the work of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meeting that modernized the church.
"I too ... want to affirm with decisive willingness to follow in the commitment of carrying out the Second Vatican Council, in the wake of my predecessors and in faithful continuity with the 2,000-year-old tradition of the church," he said.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1113963507101
[the Pope a Homophobe?
by curious george Wednesday, Apr. 20, 2005 at 1:23 PM
I didn't know that the new Pope was a homophobe? Why is that? Does he have nightmares about being chased by people from the GLBT community? If he does have a "phobia" (irrational fear) isn't it a little insensitive and intolerant to openly label him like this?
Would someone who opposes Bush be a "Bushophobe?"
How about the war on terror, a "combataphobe?"
How about someone on a diet, would they be an "obeseophobe?"
This is really ridiculous to promote hate by labeling people this way.]
http://www.thetaskforce.org/media/release.cfm?releaseID=814
April 19, 2005
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
On the Election of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope
"Today, the princes of the Roman Catholic Church elected as Pope a man whose record has been one of unrelenting, venomous hatred for gay people, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. In fact, during the reign of John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger was the driving force behind a long string of pronouncements using the term 'evil' to describe gay people, homosexuality, and marriage equality. As a long-time Catholic from a staunchly Catholic family, I know that the history of the church is full of shameful, centuries-long chapters involving vilification, persecution, and violence against others. Someday, the church will apologize to gay people as it has to others it has oppressed in the past. I very much doubt that this day will come during this Pope's reign. In fact, it seems inevitable that this Pope will cause even more pain and give his successors even more for which to seek atonement."
- Matt Foreman
Executive Director
by curious george Wednesday, Apr. 20, 2005 at 1:23 PM
I didn't know that the new Pope was a homophobe? Why is that? Does he have nightmares about being chased by people from the GLBT community? If he does have a "phobia" (irrational fear) isn't it a little insensitive and intolerant to openly label him like this?
Would someone who opposes Bush be a "Bushophobe?"
How about the war on terror, a "combataphobe?"
How about someone on a diet, would they be an "obeseophobe?"
This is really ridiculous to promote hate by labeling people this way.]
http://www.thetaskforce.org/media/release.cfm?releaseID=814
April 19, 2005
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
On the Election of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope
"Today, the princes of the Roman Catholic Church elected as Pope a man whose record has been one of unrelenting, venomous hatred for gay people, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. In fact, during the reign of John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger was the driving force behind a long string of pronouncements using the term 'evil' to describe gay people, homosexuality, and marriage equality. As a long-time Catholic from a staunchly Catholic family, I know that the history of the church is full of shameful, centuries-long chapters involving vilification, persecution, and violence against others. Someday, the church will apologize to gay people as it has to others it has oppressed in the past. I very much doubt that this day will come during this Pope's reign. In fact, it seems inevitable that this Pope will cause even more pain and give his successors even more for which to seek atonement."
- Matt Foreman
Executive Director
We a group of lesbians and guys have seceded and refounded the Church on new grounds.
I am running for Papacy.
If you think this is a just cause
GIVE ME YOUR VOTE
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$120.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network