Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Catholic bishops back priestly celibacy, traditional stands

Tracy Wilkinson Los Angeles Times

ROME – Roman Catholic bishops gathering here from all over the world broached taboo topics and gave the public rare glimpses of policy debate within the Vatican. But as the three-week meeting draws to a close today, the clerics have chosen not to break new ground or stray from tradition.

The Bishop of Synods on Saturday approved a 50-point package of “propositions” that will be handed to Pope Benedict XVI and that reinforced long-standing policies, including an enthusiastic endorsement of celibacy for priests and the denial of communion to Catholics who have divorced and re-married.

In deliberations dominated by the critical shortage of priests in many parts of the world, the bishops also recommended maintaining the church’s ban on married priests and encouraging greater use of Latin in religious services, according to information released by the Vatican and first reported in the Catholic media.

While these elements will disappoint liberal Catholics, especially in the United States, who had noted earlier indications that some changes might be considered, they are in keeping with Benedict’s staunchly conservative theology.

The Vatican did not give a tally of the votes cast behind closed doors Saturday, but Cardinal George Pell of Australia told a news conference afterward that there was considerable consensus.

We Are the Church, an international organization of liberal Catholics, said in a statement Saturday that it “welcomes the openness” of the synod’s debates but regrets the bishops’ “lack of courage.”

This first major church meeting in Benedict’s six-month-old papacy will formally conclude today with a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The pope will preside.

The synod is an advisory body that meets every couple of years. This session drew more than 250 bishops from 118 countries.

Ahead of this synod, Benedict changed the format to allow for open-floor discussion at the end of each session. That suggested to many a climate of freer debate not seen during the long papacy of John Paul II. Journalists were then provided with details on what was discussed. However, a few days into the synod, with hot topics making headlines in the local media, the Vatican abruptly restricted the release of information.

The synod also provided the first opportunity for many bishops to see the new pope in action and to understand the new political dynamics at the Vatican.

Judging from speeches and briefings during the synod, it appears the arguments of bishops and cardinals more closely tied to the curia, or Rome-based Vatican administration, won out over the flexibility proposed by bishops from farther-away, on-the-ground dioceses, participants said.

A critical priest shortage that has left pulpits empty in many parts of the world dominated the synod. Struggling with ways to overcome the shortage, some delegates early in the synod raised the possibility of allowing married men to be ordained.

In the end, however, the bishops endorsed “the priceless gift” of priestly celibacy, and said allowing virtuous married men into the priesthood was “a road not to follow.”