Challenge in Chur

Inside the imposing episcopal palace of the Alpine town of Chur, Switzerland, 112 cardinals, archbishops and bishops representing 18 countries gathered last week to discuss the crisis in the Roman Catholic priesthood. The delegates to the second Europe-wide symposium of the Catholic hierarchy had hoped for an atmosphere of ecclesiastical calm. But out side the palace were 70 priests (some of them in sport coats and red ties), part of a protesting "shadow symposium" that had been hastily convened at a nearby hostel. Bullhorn in hand, French Dominican Jean Cardonnel, a fiery leftist whose Lenten address helped inspire last year's "May events" in Paris, set the tone of the protest. The servants of Jesus Christ, he said, were now joining the world's students and workers to demand better human conditions.

Led by radical groups from Holland, Belgium and France, the priests called for three basic reforms: the right of clergy to take a more active part in political and social affairs, an end to the rule of priestly celibacy and democratic election of church leaders. They also wanted to sit in at the symposium to discuss these demands, but the bishops voted to bar the rebel priests. A handful of liberal bishops did, however, push through a motion authorizing them to meet privately and unofficially with "shadow symposium" participants.

Sacred Outsiders. Even without the complaints of the rebels, the bishops heard some disturbing news about the state of Europe's lower clergy from a poll that had been taken to help in their deliberations. Dutch Monsignor Jan Dellepoort reported that in every European nation priests felt like "sacred outsiders, estranged from society." Many were undergoing grave crises of conscience over the wisdom or necessity of celibacy. The bishops were also aware of figures that the Vatican had confirmed a week earlier: in 1968 alone, 2,263 priests had requested release from the obligation of celibacy.

At the final session of the symposium, Belgium's Leo-Jozef Cardinal Suenens, one of the most progressive prelates in Europe, read a letter from Swiss-born Theologian Hans Kueng warning that an increasing number of priests were determined to carry on with church renewal--with or without the bishops. Although the Chur delegates sat stonily silent as the plea was read, they did approve a cautious statement acknowledging that priests want an "authentic co-responsibility" within the church. But the bishops did not comment on the demands of the radicals, who made it clear they intend that their voice be heard. At week's end, the rebel clergy agreed to establish a permanent European Assembly of Priests, with headquarters in the Belgian city of Louvain.

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