Human rights of women?
Auxiliary Bishop J. Francis Murphy of Baltimore said in a New York address that the church's "credibility is at stake" if its treatment of its members contradicts modern standards such as those set forth in the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A central issue is the rights of women, he said. "I realize that ordination is not considered an issue of justice or human rights for men or women," he said. But when a "whole class of persons" is excluded from having their call to ministry tested, "I believe our lived experience of women in ministry challenges the credibility of the teaching authority of the Church," he said. Murphy addressed a symposium sponsored by the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church Nov. 21 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration.

For decades, Murphy has defended women's equality in the Church, and has urged discussion of women's ordination. In late January, he underwent surgery and began further treatment for colon cancer. Please keep him in your prayers.

Opus Dei moves to New York City
Seeking a higher profile in the U.S., Opus Dei will celebrate the year 2000 by moving its offices from New Rochelle, N.Y., and opening a 17-story, $42 million headquarters in the heart of New York City. Financing comes from the Woodlawn Foundation, headed by an Opus Dei member. Fundraising began 15 years ago. The archconservative movement has 80,000 members, including 3,000 in the U.S. Pope John Paul II made it a "personal prelature," a unique structure with its own bishops and clergy, independent of local dioceses and bishops.

For an independent source of information about Opus Dei, both positive and negative, visit "The Unofficial Opus Dei Website," http://www.mond.at/opus.dei/ It also links with the Opus Dei official home page.

Can it be true?
According to Fr. Joseph Girzone, author of the popular "Joshua" series of books, Pope John Paul II recently gave communion to several Lutheran bishops who were his guests during a Mass in the pope's private chapel in the Vatican. The original account appeared in a letter Girzone wrote to the London Tablet. Contacted by CTA at his home in New York, Girzone said he has promised not to reveal the names of his sources but said the original information came from a Catholic archbishop who attended the Mass and was quite "surprised" by the papal action. Girzone insisted his sources are "impeccable" and that he intends to follow the pope's "good example" in his own presiding at Mass.

Remembering Bill Leahy
CTA mourns the death Jan. 2 of Bill Leahy, 63, former president of the Fellowship of Christian Ministries. A brilliant scholar in both theology and Scripture, Bill was a priest-secretary inside Vatican II, but back in his Philadelphia archdiocese he was sorely persecuted for teaching the Council message of reform. Outside the canonical priesthood, he brought compassion to the homeless, the addicted, gays and lesbians, the divorced, people with AIDS, and women, in a ministry he called the Church of Reconciliation. In 1991 at the CTA national conference, Bill was one of the founders or COR -- Catholic Organizations for Renewal.

Let's welcome back married priests
So states an article in U.S. Catholic for February by Chicago married priest John Horan. The "Sounding Board" essay was linked with one of the magazine's regular reader surveys. The results are printed on following pages. Eighty percent of respondents want priestly celibacy to become optional.

To read more, visit the web site: http://www.uscatholic.com To subscribe to U.S. Catholic, call 800 328-6515.

Montreal synod votes for ordaining women
Like a replay of the Dialogue for Austria the previous month, 600 lay and clergy delegates of the 1.7 million Catholics in the archdiocese of Montreal voted by hefty majorities Nov. 29-30 in favor of progressive church reforms. And like the Austrian bishops, Montreal's Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte promised he would carry all the recommendations to Rome, even those that will clearly displease the Pope.

The delegates, most of them elected by parishes and pastoral regions, voted in favor of women priests (66 percent), women deacons (73 percent), and married priests (74 percent). They also endorsed greater openness to divorced and remarried persons (91 percent), and favored entrusting "real pastoral responsibilities, including coordination of the pastoral life of a parish," to laity, especially women (75 percent).

The voting assembly was the conclusion of a three year process involving mail and telephone input, public hearings, and over 1,000 small group meetings. Turcotte promised to implement immediately those recommendations that fall within his authority, like a new consultative body of women for all decisions about pastoral matters. A new diocesan assembly with grassroots credibility is being formed to monitor implementation of the synod's resolutions.

Bishops elect Gregory
The U.S. bishops' conference elected new officers in November. New president is Joseph Fiorenza of Houston, Tex. Vice-president, and probable next president in 2000, is Wilton Gregory of Belleville, Ill. Besides being the first African-American bishop elected a vice president, Gregory is noteworthy for his practice of meeting on a quarterly basis for dialogue with the leaders of FOSIL, the Fellowship of Southern Illinois Laity, a CTA cooperating organization. Dates of his regular meetings with FOSIL appear in the diocesan newspaper. FOSIL coordinator is Lena Woltering of B elleville, who is also a CTA national board member.