NPR: Vatican Celebrations Overshadowed By Scandals
WOC’s presence at the Vatican in June 2010 for the "Year for Priests" is featured in this NPR story:
Published: June 10, 2010
Thousands of Roman Catholic clergy are in Rome to mark the end of the church-designated "Year for Priests." But the celebrations are overshadowed by the worldwide clerical sex abuse scandal. Catholic activists also are in Rome demanding radical changes and a moral reckoning by Pope Benedict XVI.
Welcoming priests from all over the world, the Vatican No. 2, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said revelations of hundreds of cases of clerical sex abuse show the need for spiritual renewal.
"The Holy Father and I have had to acknowledge the pain caused by the infidelities — some very serious — committed by some members of the clergy that have had a negative impact on the church’s credibility," Bertone said. "The pope has even spoken of a persecution not from the outside but stemming from sins within the church."
Only 24 hours earlier, a group of American, German, Canadian and English women marched in St. Peter’s Square and chanted their demands that women be ordained.
They wore purple stoles — the symbol for female priests; some even had Roman collars. Their protest lasted about a minute before Vatican police made them leave.
To read the full story, click here.