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	German Catholics Call for Reform, Many Leaving By Melissa Eddy WCBD May 25, 2011 http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/may/25/german-catholics-call-for-reform-many-leaving-ar-1888387/ AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) Roman Catholic intellectuals and some of the faithful in Germany are turning their backs on the church in the year following a widespread sex scandal. There are nearly 25 million Catholics in Germany, but numbers gathered by The Associated Press show a spike in people leaving the congregation last year as allegations of clergy abuse of hundreds of children surfaced. German theologians and others have aired their discontent in a series of petitions to church leaders calling for changes including more transparency, an end to celibacy, and women's ordination. The Vatican has not responded to the petitions, but the German Bishops Conference has announced a series of platforms for dialogue "aimed at giving our church in Germany a theological profile and sense of cohesion in this new century."
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