Oakland, Calif., Mar 24, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A Catholic publication refused to run an ad about a one-day seminar, sponsored by Voice of the Faithful and the University of San Francisco, which would gather scholars to discuss the future of the Catholic Church.
As publisher of the Catholic Voice, Bishop Allen Vigneron of Oakland rejected the ad for the seminar, “Imaging the Future Church”, based on critical comments he had heard on Church doctrine from group members, reported the Contra Costa Times.
According to the Contra Costa Times, the bishop wrote a letter to Peter Davey, the VOTF East Bay chairman, explaining his position. In it, he said his decision was based on a meeting he had with local VOTF leadership, during which he was told that VOTF had decided to withhold affirmation from some elements of authentic Magisterial teaching, such as “the impossibility of ordaining women to the priesthood.”
The Catholic Voice is published bi-weekly and has a circulation of 100,000.