Archdiocese speaks out against priest's visit
The Rev. Helmut Schüller, whose reformist views have caused a stir among Catholics, is set to speak at Chestnut Hill College.
THE ARCHDIOCESE of Philadelphia is officially condemning tomorrow night's appearance by the Rev. Helmut Schüller at Chestnut Hill College.
Schüller's reformist views, which include the ordination of women and married men, the permission of divorced and remarried Catholics to receive sacraments and an end to celibacy for priests, "diverge very seriously from Catholic belief and practice," Archdiocese spokesman Kenneth Gavin said.
"To avoid the furtherance of any confusion about Catholic teaching, he may not speak at any parish or Diocesan-related facility in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia," Gavin said.
Schüller's third stop on his 15-city speaking tour will take place at 7 p.m. at the Sugarloaf Hill Conference Center on Chestnut Hill's campus.
The college has no direct affiliation with the Archdiocese.
"The college had agreed to rent the facility several months ago as a part of the college's continuing mission to encourage dialogue on issues of importance to society," a Chestnut Hill College spokeswoman said.
The college maintains that it does not take a position on views expressed by Schüller and that it serves merely as a site for the event.
Schüller has experienced similar resistance in Boston, where he had to move an appearance after Cardinal Sean O'Malley banned him from speaking on any Catholic property in the Archdiocese of Boston.