Nugent-Gramick agitators rebuffed (United States).

Houston--The president of the American Bishops Conference, Bishop Joseph Firenza of Houston-Galveston, has backed the Vatican against the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and some 5000 individuals who claim that the Vatican condemnation of Fr. Nugent and Sister Gramick was undeserved. They say that it was an intrusion into the privacy of conscience, and that it was marred by undue process (for the Vatican ruling, see CI, "Church ends New Ways Ministry," Sept., 1999, p. 24). The 5000 supporters--a number of whom are priests or religious--signed an advertisement in the NCR of Nov. 17. The protest was also supported by 41 groups of religious (male and female), including the Canadian Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie.

On the same date that the protest was advertised in the NCR, November 17, Bishop Fiorenza issued a statement answering the charges one by one, and adding: "It would be hard to think of a process which, over a course of almost 12 years, showed more respect and sensitivity for the religious institutes and the religious persons involved."

Canadians

Among the 5000 signers are a small group of Canadian Catholics: Gregory Baum (Montreal), Dennis Benoit, Sr. Anne Bezaire, Fr. Tim Coonen OMI (Dawson City, YT), Nan F. Cooper, Bonnie Dickie, Dignity Canada, Dignity Edmonton, Br. Ignatius Feaver OFM Cap., Rev. Scott Gale (Thunder Bay), Wally Haygarth, A. Hadowansky, Prof. Dennis Hudecki (Brescia College, London, ON), Joanne Hughes, Valerie Krochenski, Charlene Lipka, Judith MacDougall, Sheila Madden, Joanna Manning (Toronto), Don McGuire (Regina, SK), Sr. Josie McKechnie CSJ, Joelle Morgan, Nancy Nydegger, Rita Patenaude, Achiel Peelman (vice-rector, St. Paul's University, Ottawa), Winfield Poole, Paul Robson, Paula Sinclair, Sr Sandra Stewart RNDM, Rev. Ronald Trojcak (chaplain at King's College, London, ON), Jean Trudeau, Rodney Warman.

Also in Canada, the Catholic New Times has printed letters to the editor over the last four months in favour of the Gramick-Nugent position, plus a sympathetic Jim Loney interview with Sister Jeannine Gramick, in its Nov. 28, 1999, edition.