Bishops in Colorado for crucial dialogue | Denver Post

Bishops in Colorado for crucial dialogue
Progress on abuse-related reforms and the role of Catholics in public life are on this week's agenda.

By Eric Gorski
Denver Post Staff Writer


Post / Andy Cross
The Rev. Franco Plascencia celebrates Mass
at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in
Denver. Democratic Senate candidate Ken Salazar,
who supports abortion rights, attends the church.

More than 250 U.S. Roman Catholic bishops will gather in Denver this week for a critical closed-door meeting at a time when divisions have appeared in their ranks.

In recent months, the leaders of America's largest religious denomination have staked out different positions on the church's proper place in the political arena, whether some church teachings should be emphasized over others, and whether Communion should be a forum for judging how Catholics stand on issues.

One goal of the six-day Denver summit, which begins Monday at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Arapahoe County, is to narrow those gaps and find consensus where possible, observers say.

"The bishops don't like the appearance of arguing or disagreeing in public because they value very much the image of a united church," said the Rev. Tom Reese, editor of America, a Jesuit magazine. "Having different bishops say different things just destroys this image of unity."

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and they know it.

stem cell research, gay rights, etc.... I think the Catholic church is going to face rebellion (and hopefully picketing by their own membership). It sends the signal that they are willing to bolster an administration that advocates torture, unprovoked war, imperialism, and civilian death (as well as legalized execution). THe Vatican and Diocese throughout the US, better take note...American Catholics have been willing to ignore much of what the Vatican ordains and have brought their own common sense to the equation. To keep pushing this will very likely spark open rebellion and an official break from Rome and the US hierarchy as well. I can only hope...

The Catholic Church is not a tool for the religious right wing to use against Kerry. There's no half way on the "thou shall not kill" commandment which means both against abortion and against the death penalty.

The Catholic leadership will have to deny communion to as many Republican statesmen as Democratic representatives. I hope they will consider this ... and the trials of those of us Catholics who feel that there is no place for the mixing of church and state especially in the heat of a Presidential election season.

This is a sad situation and I hope the enlightened Bishops are able to convince the rest that no good can come of continuing this debate, much less denying Communion to public figures. : (

More than 250 of America's Roman Catholic bishops opened a private retreat Monday as a lay reform group and other protesters criticized the prelates for holding closed-door talks about their effort to prevent sexual abuse by priests.
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The other issue on the bishops' agenda is the question of withholding Communion from elected officials who don't follow church policy.

Bishops can set policy for their own dioceses and have taken varied positions on the issue. Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has said he would deny the sacrament to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (website - news - bio) , a Catholic who supports abortion rights. Other bishops have said such lawmakers should abstain from the sacrament, while another group of prelates said Communion should not be used as a sanction.
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On Monday, church leaders announced they had given the Republican and Democratic platform committees a copy of the bishops' document, "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility."
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http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0604/153256.html

I mean what gives these fat cats the right to make policy over others who have not democratically elected them?

Do we not live in a democracy? One which has been the greatest democracy of them all?

and so why do we have a great deal of many people, taking the word of mere men who were NOT elected by them as the truth and as the way, when it comes to politics?

Has anyone questioned why they NEED to follow these fat cats when it comes to our government?

Or are they all just so scared they will not go to a heaven after they die if they do not "obey"?

As a Christian and a democrat-I hope that the wonderful gift of separation of church and state is affirmed by the Catholic Church. This is its hour of truth-mixing religion and politics by and large has been a miserable failure which lead to much suffering and evil. Europe was awash in a sea of blood for centuries due to this toxic brew.It grieves me to see the Church which should know better from its Inquisition to the suffering of the Irish inflicted by Protestant England-playing with this fire. It is essential for peaceful society and the very freedom of man that these 2 remain separate. The Catholic Bishops seem obsessed with pushing a Bush tortured country further toward the cliff. When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

Because that mother fucker from Conn. who can't ride a horse and owns a ranch has decided to throw in on their side of the abortion question. Its the beginning of a decline in this church.