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	Catholic Church Called out By Daniel O'Connor State Press February 7, 2011 http://www.statepress.com/2011/02/07/catholic-church-called-out/ The Catholic Church is not known for its progressive dogma. Maybe that's why it came as such a shock when 143 university theologians in Germany called for a reformative overhaul of the Church on Friday: to abandon the vow of celibacy for priests, open up the clergy for women and accept gays couples. The appeal, which was published in the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, was signed by almost one third of Germany's Catholic theologians. That's quite a gutsy move considering the church has a veto right in appointing theologians at Germany's state-run universities. The appeal is a response to the Church's diminishing membership in recent years, much of which can be linked to the widespread sexual abuse scandals of the past decade. According to the BBC, a February 2004 Church-commissioned report said "more than 4,000 Roman Catholic priests in the U.S. had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years. … More than 10,000 children … were allegedly abused, but victims' representatives said this was an underestimate." In the U.S., the abuse cases have also taken a financial toll on the church, which has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to victims, according to the BBC. In July 2004 the Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., became the first Catholic diocese to seek bankruptcy protection in the face of sexual abuse claims, according to the BBC. And by February 2007, four more dioceses sought bankruptcy, according to San Diego's KGTV. But is the Catholic Church ready to sacrifice tradition for some practical benefits? I can't think of a better time. Except maybe yesterday. Or 20 years ago. Bottom line: If the church wants to maintain any credibility with future generations, and not get swept under the rug of forgotten traditions, it needs to start making some drastic changes soon. Vatican III, anyone? Arguably the most significant suggestion of the appeal was the call to end celibacy. Not only would this be a step in the right direction in preventing further abuse victims, but it would also be an effort to attract more men to enter the priesthood, another issue the church has been facing in recent years. Sister Maureen Fiedler, the host of public radio show Interfaith Voices, wrote in a blog for The Huffington Post saying that, unlike for monks and nuns, celibacy is not an essential aspect of the priesthood. In fact, she says, ending the vows may help priests better relate to their parishioners. And the best part — because celibacy is only a disciplinary practice and not dogma, the pope can easily administer these changes at any time. If the church wants more priests, they better make certain their worthy of it — that they are more committed to the quality of their clergymen than their façade of tradition. First, the Vatican needs to demonstrate that it can be trusted again. So a tip of the biretta to the German professors. Your move, Benedict. Contact: djoconn1@asu.edu
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