Protesters of many stripes come to Chicago to raise their issues

Published: 2005-06-20

CHICAGO (CNS) -- As the U.S. bishops began their June 16-18 spring meeting in a basement ballroom at Chicago's Fairmont Hotel, knots of demonstrators gathered on the sidewalk outside. Their causes were familiar to the bishops: calls for more severe reactions to the clerical sexual abuse crisis; for rights for homosexuals, including for gay marriage; and for the ordination of women. On the other side of the hotel entrance, a group from the American Life League announced their support for the bishops, but asked them to discipline Catholic politicians who support keeping abortion legal. Rich Springer, a member of Linkup, made up of clergy sex abuse victims, said the demonstrators wanted to catch the bishops' attention, but also wanted to remind the public that the abuse crisis has not gone away. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Communications, said the bishops expect demonstrators, but do not generally interact with them. "In their own dioceses, I think bishops are in dialogue with their people. I think bishops are aware of the wide range of issues on people's minds," he said. When it comes to the sex abuse crisis, Bishop Kicanas said, the bishops have shown their concern by the time they spent on it.

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