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	Respected Expert to Talk on Catholic Church Future By Ann Rodgers Pittsburgh Post-Gazette November 1, 2010 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10305/1099694-455.stm John Allen, a renowned reporter on Vatican affairs for both the National Catholic Reporter and CNN, will speak in the Pittsburgh region Wednesday, and again on Nov. 11. He will speak Wednesday night in McCandless, and on Nov. 11 he will give a six-hour seminar at the Villa Maria Community Center in Villa Maria, Lawrence County. Both draw from his book, "The Future Church: How Ten Trends are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church." "John knows more about the Catholic Church over the last 50 years than probably anyone in the English-speaking world," said the Rev. John Oesterle, who arranged Wednesday's talk for the Association of Pittsburgh Priests. "John is one of the most knowledgeable and unbiased journalists in a day when everyone tries to get their own opinions to spin the issue." He is the senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, a liberal, independent newspaper. But his reporting has been praised by conservative Catholics, who say he takes their concerns seriously. Mr. Allen said that his goal is to get American Catholics "to think globally about issues facing the church." Americans are just 6 percent of the Catholic population, and their concerns differ greatly from the other 94 percent, he said. North Americans are likely to name the sex abuse crisis, the status of women in the church and sexual ethics as the most critical issues facing the church, he said. But Africans, Asians and Latin Americans tend to name government corruption, violence and economic woes associated with global capitalism. Americans' concerns are important, "but if we are going to be part of the global family, we need to think bigger about what the challenges facing us are," he said. One example of a disconnect is a call from the advocates for victims of sexual abuse for Pope Benedict XVI to expand the reporting requirement in the United States to the entire world. Reporting sex crimes to the police is the right policy in the U.S., where the police are generally honest and the rights of Catholics are respected, Mr. Allen said. But it could be disastrous in nations where the police are complicit in persecution of the Catholic Church. An abuse report could bring violent attacks on the entire Catholic community. "You can understand why Catholics in such places aren't eager to cooperate with the police. A mandate to do so would seem to them like a death sentence," Mr. Allen said. In general, Catholics in the global South tend to be more theologically conservative than American Catholics, but are more liberal on economics and social welfare, he said. As their issues take a higher profile in the church, "everyone's ox will be gored. Whether you like it or not, it's coming," he said. Wednesday's talk is at 7:30 p.m. in the Kearns Spirituality Center at La Roche College. The suggested donation is $15. The Nov. 11 seminar is 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the community center of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in Villa Maria. The $65 registration includes breakfast and lunch. Registration is required, and is available at 724-964-8886 or www.villaprograms.org. Ann Rodgers: arodgers@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1416.
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