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  Catholics Hope for Progressive Pope

By Gary Soulsman
The News Journal [Delaware]
April 17, 2005

04/17/2005Cari DeSantis of St. Anthony of Padua parish in Wilmington hopes the conclave of cardinals, who begin meeting Monday, will elect a pope who will be as revered as John Paul II.

But she has no illusions about their electing a man whose teachings will appeal to all 66 million American Catholics, even if he can speak eloquently to the world.

"It's the nature of Americans to think for themselves and question church teachings," said DeSantis, of Hockessin.

Bishop Michael Saltarelli, leader of the 220,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Wilmington, has told parishioners to expect the next pope to promote the same core values. Yet many Catholics, like those in the local diocese, say they want the next pope to take different positions on important issues.

In a Quinnipiac University poll of 500 American Catholics conducted in early April, 55 percent said the church should relax its ban on contraception; 53 percent said priests should be allowed to marry; and 52 percent said women should be ordained as priests.

It is no surprise that many Americans share these views. The Vatican thinks in terms of centuries and evolves at a glacial pace, said Jeffrey Marlett, associate professor of religious studies at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. By contrast, life in America moves in minutes and hours.

Add to that an American society that is generally well-educated and values democracy as well as individuality. The result is a brand of Catholicism that gives homage to papal authority but is often Protestant in ethos.

"Catholics often feel that they should be free, like Protestants, to make up their minds," he said.

Cecilia Cardesa-Lusardi is one of those who would love to see the church change its mind on women and allow them to be priests. She believes married priests would have a first-hand appreciation of family life that would help them as pastors. And she knows that many women use contraception to have families of a manageable size or to protect themselves from disease.

"I'd like to see the church grow in its teachings as our understanding of modern life grows," said Cardesa-Lusardi, executive director of Voices Without Borders, a Delaware ministry to Hispanic immigrants.

Such free thinking is even stronger in Europe, according to the Rev. Andrew Greeley, a Catholic author and sociologist. Recently he studied the attitudes of Catholics. He asked 4,278 Catholic laity if they would like the next pope to give more autonomy to local bishops; show more concern about parish members; permit more change in the church; appoint lay advisers; return to the practice of local election of bishops; ordain woman; and allow priests to marry.

In the United States, the average approval for all the changes was 65 percent. He said this would probably be true in the Diocese of Wilmington, too.

He found approval was 78 percent in Germany, 74 percent in Spain, 73 percent in Ireland and 61 percent in Italy.

"The credibility of the church has deteriorated among lay people," Greeley said, and that's because the church is not holding up democratic ideals that people now value in their governments. Where the ancient church was once a democratic institution in an authoritarian world, he said, the modern church is now an authoritarian institution in a democratic world.

It's an authoritarianism that's failed to protect young people from sexual abuse, said Gary Belkot of Georgetown, a member of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.

"As a survivor, I think the church needs a pope who will reconcile itself to the laity and foster more democracy," he said. "Church authorities did not do a good job of policing themselves until outside complaints were raised. So our responsibility is to look out for the most vulnerable among us."

Among those who have been most saddened by the teachings of John Paul are independent-minded women, said author Angela Bonavoglia of Westchester County, N.Y.

"My hope is that strong women stay within the church and wrestle it into a progressive future," said Bonavoglia, author of a new book, "Good Catholic Girls: How Women are Leading the Fight to Change the Church."

Yet she says it was easier to press for change when Second Vatican Council (1962 to 1965) promoted a new openness toward women. Today many women feel like second-class Catholics, she said, given that John Paul was "unrelenting in his determinism to keep women out of ordained priesthood."

However, the leadership of John Paul was absolutely right to many other men and women, said Rae D. Stabosz, president of Catholic Scholars at the University of Delaware.

A cradle Catholic, Stabosz counts herself one of those women. The terms she applies is "homestyle Catholic." It distinguishes hers from "a cafeteria Catholic," someone who feels free to pick and choose beliefs.

"A homestyle Catholic trusts that the church has prepared good food and has set it on the table for all to enjoy," she said. "We accept everything offered."

Her easy acceptance comes from several dimensions. On the one hand, she's had spiritual experiences that speak to her of the correctness of the gospel and that the pope is guided by the Holy Spirit on teachings of morality and faith.

At her parish, Holy Family in Newark, she's seen the laity - women and men - valued for what they offer. In general, laity have helped with the administration of parishes, teaching, outreach and reading of scripture during worship.

A shortage of U.S. priests means that laity will have an increasingly important role to play, which will benefit their spiritual growth, she said. The number of priests in the United States has declined from 59,000 in 1965 to 43,000 today.

Stabosz also believes that Catholic rebelliousness stems, in part, from poor catechism in the early years of Vatican II. "You can't embrace anything you've never been taught," Stabosz said.

In addition, she's come to appreciate the church's teachings on contraception, having turned to birth control after a priest gave his blessing following the birth of her ninth child.

"I experienced the fallout of making bad choices in consultation with a pastor," she said. "It was the darkest period of our marriage."

Given all these experiences, Stabosz says she does not want Americans who disagree with the pope to leave the church. She regards them as family.

However, she says, what Americans want in the next pope should not be paramount in what the conclave weighs Monday. She hopes for a pope with a truly global perspective.

"What's needed is a man of prayer, a man of faith, a man of intelligence, an amiable man" who can get along with others and speak in a profound and inspired way, she said.