Fr Curran dubious on ban reversal

by Jack O'Sullivan FR Charles Curran hopes to appeal against the Vatican decision announced last week, forbidding him from teaching Catholic theology. But he doubts that the ban will be reversed.
Fr Curran has also suggested that there is now "great tension" between Rome and the Church in the United States following several investigations by the Vatican. This week, he claimed widespread support from US theologians for his views on sexual ethics.
He said he intends, having taken legal advice, to appeal against his unseating as Professor of Theology at the Catholic University of America.
"However in the end", he said, "it will probably be a process that I can't win because the ultimate decision will be made by the board of trustees in the university, half of whom are Catholic bishops."
Archbishop James Hickey, ex-officio chancellor of the CUM, has supported the decision from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But Fr Curran said that "the majority of Catholic theologians think that I am both suitable and eligible to exercise the functions of a Catholic theologian".
Background, see page two He claimed that US theologians were trying to deal with contemporary problems but the Vatican was using his case to halt critical discussion.
The reason for Fr Curran's ban is his refusal to back down from his view that, in certain circumstances, artificial birth control, homosexual acts, masturbation, pre-marital sex and divorce are not sinful.
"There certainly is great tension between Church in the United States and Rome. The fact is that Rome and the Vatican have investigated United States seminaries. They have investigated United States religious women. They have even investigated two US bishops.
Fr Curran's claims of differences between Rome and the US church has been backed by a survey which reveals that almost a quarter of the US bishops responding favour allowing Catholic priests to marry.
The priest who conducted the survey, a Jesuit, Fr Terrance Sweeney, resigned from the order last week rather than obey a Vatican demand that he destroy his research records.