IRELAND
Irish Times
[Authority in the Catholic Church]
PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent
More than 160 leading Catholic scholars worldwide have signed a “Declaration on authority in the Catholic Church” that calls for change in church governance.
The signatories include leading theologians Hans Kung, Leonardo Boff and Dr John Wijngaards, as well as three Australian bishops, William Morris, Pat Power and Geoffrey Robinson.
In a letter to The Irish Times today, Irish signatories to the declaration speak of the need for “a pope who will redress the present imbalance in the exercise of authority in the Catholic Church.” Their letter continues that “more autonomy should be given to national bishops’ conferences and collegiality enabled at all levels in the church”.
It calls for “a new, more democratic process of electing key office holders in the church including bishops, cardinals and experts of papal commissions”.
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