Surveys in Europe support We Are Church agenda
New surveys analyzed by U.S. priest-sociologist Andrew Greeley show majority support for women priests and married priests among Catholics in Ireland, Spain and Italy. The findings were released by the We Are Church International Movement, the network of groups in 10 countries with referenda calling for opening the priesthood.

Marriage for priests was supported by majorities of 84 percent in Spain, 82 percent in Ireland, and 60 percent in Italy. Women priests were acceptable to 70 percent of Catholics in Spain, 67 percent in Ireland, and 52 percent in Italy.

The other two countries in Greeley's data base are the U.S. and the Philippines. U.S. Catholics give 69 percent approval to married priests and 65 percent to women's ordination. Philippine Catholics were less favorable: 20 percent for married clergy and 17 percent for women priests.

The U.S. Referendum continues to gather signatures, and will be part of an international pilgrimage with other referenda countries to Rome in October. Send signed referenda and contributions to the We Are Church Coalition, P.O. Box 2548, Fairfax, VA 22031. 703 352-1766. FAX 703 352-5181 E-mail: woc96@aol.com

Vatican hints, then denies, acceptance of birth control
"In a new set of guidelines for confessors, the Vatican said that while birth control is always morally wrong, it should generally be forgiven in confession -- even for penitents who may habitually return to the practice."

So begins a Catholic News Service story about the March 1 issuance of a document on conjugal morality by the Pontifical Council for the Family. The CNS story appeared in many official diocesan newspapers. Many secular newspapers, in Italy as well as in the U.S., played the story as a sign of new pastoral flexibility by the Vatican on the birth control issue. That prompted a quick clarification on March 5 in the official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, that Church teaching had not changed, and contraception was still a serious sin.

Chicago newspapers called CTA for a comment, since CTA has publicly opposed the Church's ban on artificial birth control. Contraception isn't a big deal for most Catholics, said CTA President Linda Pieczynski, quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times. "In the practical world, most Catholics do not think it's wrong. The last time it was an issue was for my parents' generation."