By Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press
June 9, 2011
http://www.freep.com/article/20110609/NEWS05/106090540/Liberal-Catholics-pushing-changes-church-gather-Detroit
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| Organizers John Hushon, Sheila Peiffer, left, and Janet Hauter hope for a dialogue on church issues. |
Calling for more democracy within the Catholic Church, liberal Catholics from around the world are coming to Detroit this weekend for a conference to help revitalize what they say is an archaic institution in need of reform.
Sponsored by the American Catholic Council, an organization of 30 Catholic reform groups across the U.S., the conference is three years in the making and comes on the 35th anniversary of a gathering in Detroit to talk about church reforms led by then-Cardinal John Dearden, the former archbishop of Detroit.
The conference is expected to call for more democratic decision-making in the church and the possibility of allowing women into the priesthood, as well as married priests. More than 1,800 have already registered, organizers say.
The council wants to "engage all Catholics in the United States in a dialogue about what the problems of the church are," said co-organizer John Hushon, a Catholic attorney from Florida.
But Catholic leaders warn that the gathering at Cobo Center is not sanctioned by the church, as the 1976 event was. So they're supporting a conference in Livonia for conservative Catholics planned for the same weekend.
In a letter sent Friday to local priests and deacons, Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron cautioned Catholics to stay away. In particular, he warned clergy not to attend a Sunday mass at Cobo, saying that anyone involved could be defrocked.
Dueling events show schism
Two competing visions of the Catholic Church's future will play out in metro Detroit this weekend with separate conferences -- one liberal, the other conservative -- that are expected to draw thousands.
The liberal one, sponsored by the American Catholic Council, is set to be one of the biggest gatherings of left-leaning Catholics in years, a three-day event that will attract high-profile critics of the church and about 2,000 Catholics from around the world to Detroit.
At the same time, the Archdiocese of Detroit is supporting a more conservative conference in Livonia, which will feature speakers who will critique the American Catholic Council's vision and explain the church's views.
In a letter sent Friday to local priests, Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron revealed the tensions the conference is causing.
Vigneron said he made "attempts to engage in a dialogue with (the American Catholic Council) about this planned event," but "the organizers of this conference have not replied to me directly."
He cautioned Catholics, especially priests, to stay away from the conference, saying the council may have a mass that violates church teachings. Also, the archdiocese released a detailed critique this week that says the council's gathering contradicts church beliefs.
Council organizers said they will not violate church policies.
The competing conferences come at a time of growing concern about people leaving the Catholic Church. Almost one of three people raised as Catholic in the U.S. have left the church, according to a 2008 study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Catholics have experienced the greatest percentage-point loss of members of any major religion or denomination.
Both sides agree there's a problem, but they disagree on the solution. At the heart of the conflict is this question: What does it mean to be Catholic in the 21st Century?
The council is pushing for lay people to have a greater say in church decision-making, which is often top-down. And many are calling for women, gay and non-celibate priests, along with more of an emphasis on social justice issues rather than abortion or anti-birth control efforts. On Sunday, it plans to endorse a 10-point list of rights and responsibilities for Catholics.
Kathy Chateau, 54, of St. Clair Shores will be at the liberal conference in Detroit because she said she's fed up with the church's views on women and what she calls its lack of accountability over issues such as child abuse.
"The hierarchy of the church treats us like children, saying we can't discuss things, that things are off-limits," Chateau said. "But as adults, we have to be able to discuss things, we have to be able to talk about every issue."
Diane Korzeniewski, 49, of Warren supports the Livonia conference, saying that the council's members are not really acting as Catholics.
"The American Catholic Council ... is using the Catholic name in a disingenuous way ... with open dissent from authentic Catholic teaching," said Korzeniewski, who blogs on Catholicism at http://te-deum.blogspot.com . "The American Catholic Council can't redefine Catholicism."
Deborah Bloomfield, 60, of Wyandotte, one of the organizers of the Livonia conference, said that many in the council appear to be uninformed about the Catholic Church's teachings. She said they "want to undermine" the Catholic faith.
"They want the Catholic Church to change," she said. "But truth doesn't change."
Others say the church needs to change to survive.
Matt Jatczak, 31, of Livonia, head of the metro Detroit chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), will be at the American Catholic Council's conference, calling for the Catholic Church's leadership to be more open about child abuse by priests.
Jatczak wants local Catholic leaders to stop blocking proposed legislation in Lansing that would change the statutes of limitations for abuse claims. Catholic officials say the bill would be a radical departure from established policies, cause financial problems and be unfair because it doesn't target governments.
"In order for the church to retain their current credibility, they must do a far better job," Jatczak said.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: 313-223-4792 or nwarikoo@freepress.com
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