After months of hopeful lobbying by as many as six American cities, Denver has been chosen to host a visit by Pope John Paul II in August 1993.
While newspapers and airwaves in Denver this week were filled with the comments of jubilant Roman Catholics and public officials proud that their diocese and city had been selected, one small group of Catholics took a different view.
The group, calling itself the ”Matthew 10: 26-27 Movement,” sees the visit as a time to renew criticism of John Paul`s papacy and of the leadership style of Denver Archbishop J. Francis Stafford. In a statement issued Monday, the group, which views Stafford and the pope as overly conservative and authoritarian, said it is not opposing the papal visit, but ”would welcome the opportunity to enter into dialogue” with the pope.
The pope, who announced Sunday that he had selected Denver for an annual youth convention, is expected to attend the final days of the Aug. 11 to 15 gathering.
The Mile High City`s proximity to Hispanic populations of the Southwest, the splendor of the Rocky Mountains and the convenient location of primary meeting sites in Denver were among the reasons it was selected for the worldwide meeting of young adults and youth, according to church officials. Other ”finalist” cities were Minneapolis-St. Paul and Buffalo, N.Y.
The Matthew 10 movement describes the pope as a ”restorationist,” or one who wants a return to church practice as it existed before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s.
In the statement issued and written by Rev. James Sunderland, members of the liberal movement claim they ”have been concerned and fearful at what has been happening during the reign of the present bishops of Rome and Denver.”
Sunderland, a Jesuit who directs the prison ministry of the Denver archdiocese, concluded the statement with a request that he admits is futile, that Stafford allow ”us to have 20 minutes of unstructured dialogue with the pope.” Sunderland and the Matthew 10 group said they would like to discuss such matters as the church`s treatment of women, ”Vatican hangups and rigidity on sexual issues,” the church`s ban on altar girls and authoritarian leadership styles.
”We welcome a dialogue with the pope although we will never get that opportunity,” he wrote.
The international youth meeting has been held every two years since its inception in 1985 to celebrate World Youth Day.
