In sharp words, a wide range of Catholics blasted their church's leadership Friday at the opening of a three-day conference in Detroit that seeks to reform what they said is an outdated and secretive club of men out of touch with reality.
"They are like the Kremlin in the last decades" of communist rule in the Soviet Union, said the Rev. Hans Kung, a priest from Switzerland, in a taped address to about 2,000 people at Cobo Hall. "This system has no future."
Hey, look at that! Hans Kung made a tele-appearance! Still playing at being Pope, by the looks of things.
"We cannot go on like this, " said Kung, whom the Vatican has ruled can no longer teach theology. "It's a Potemkin church. You have thousands of parishes without priests anymore."
Yeah, I know you can't, Hans. The article is kind enough to mention why:
Kung, who could not attend in person because of health reasons, was applauded by the audience, a mostly elderly crowd disappointed at what they see as the church's rightward turn.
I hope someone notified the local nursing homes.
Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron has asked Catholics to stay away from the conference and said priests and deacons could be defrocked if they attend a Sunday mass at Cobo. But that didn't deter local Catholics. Attendees included former seminarians, antiwar activists and those calling for women and married priests. . .
Westfall and others also were upset at Vigneron's warning to clergy to stay away. "To make that threat is very anti-Christian, " he said.
I'd love to see the logic behind that gem.
And what would any such event be without liberation theology:
In another keynote address, Jeanette Rodriguez, a theology professor from Seattle University, praised Latin American liberation theology - which has been criticized by the Vatican - and said the church must side with the poor and oppressed.
Looks like Matthew Fox showed up too. Not the guy from Lost. More like the guy who tried to legitimize Teilhardism as a Dominican and wound up getting expelled from the order back in the early 90s. All the old guard are there. I didn't references to Chittister or McBrien, but I'm betting they make an appearance.
Man, what did Detroit do to warrant this? Things are bad enough as it is there without having to put up with this massive influx of whack-jobs.
2 comments:
Was Fr. Richard McBrien of the University of Notre Dame theology department able to attend and make his, no doubt, quotable contribution?
Given his ties to Call to Action types, I'm sure that he at least got an invitation.
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