Liberals urge change after Benedict
2013-02-12 19:53
Vatican City - Supporters of liberal reform in the
Catholic Church said on Monday they hoped Pope Benedict XVI's successor would
give a greater voice to women and reconsider rules on priestly celibacy, women
priests and same-sex couples.
Benedict, who, like his predecessor John Paul II, firmly
opposed the ordination of women priests and described gay marriage as a threat
to humanity's future, said on Monday he would resign at the end of February,
announcing the first papal abdication in 700 years.
The Women's Ordination Conference (WOC), an advocate
group for female priests, said the Church was crying out for a leader who would
give women a greater role in decision making.
"The current system remains an 'old boys club' and
does not allow for women's voices to participate in the decision of the next
leader of our church," said WOC director Erin Saiz Hanna.
"The people of the church are desperate for a leader
who will be open to dialogue, and will have the courage to create systems that
will address the sexism, exclusion, and abuse in our church," she said.
WOC said it respected Benedict's decision to resign and
was concerned for his health, but it said the 85-year-old pontiff had taken
what it called "significant steps backwards" for women during his
papacy.
Last year, the pope restated the Catholic Church's ban on
women priests and said he would not tolerate disobedience by clerics on
fundamental teachings.
Under his leadership, the Vatican cracked down on
advocates of female ordination, disciplining Austrian priest Father Helmut
Schueller for challenging views on women priests and dismissing American priest
Father Ray Bourgeois for similar activism.
Broader discussion
The Vatican says women cannot be ordained priests because
Jesus Christ willingly chose only men as his apostles.
Advocates of a female priesthood reject this position,
saying Jesus was merely conforming to the customs of his times.
The Vatican reprimanded a US Catholic nuns group, the
Leadership Conference of Women Religious, last year for promoting "radical
feminist themes" and expressing positions on political issues that it said
differed at times from views held by American bishops.
Liberal groups said that it was time to broaden
discussions in the church and share power more widely.
"The Roman Catholic Church needs a pope who does not
always decide everything by himself alone," said the Austrian movement We
Are Church, adding that the next pope should give more responsibilities to
local churches and bishops.
The group called for "the full recognition" of
same-sex couples, the relaxation of celibacy rules and allowing women and lay
Catholics to hold more positions in the church.
