Nation in brief

Bishops won't discuss celibacy

WASHINGTON - Three months ago, 163 Catholic priests from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee touched a nerve by calling for a discussion of celibacy and of marriage in the priesthood.

Soon, priests from Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston and elsewhere joined the call, as have thousands of lay Catholics.

But U.S. bishops, holding their fall meeting this week, say the matter isn't on the table.

Instead, they said, they'll focus on "more pressing issues" - devotional prayers, Catholicism in Africa and their disgust with same-sex unions.

"Society needs the witness of (priestly) celibacy now more than ever," Dallas Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Galante said. "Rushing headlong into totally changing the church's teaching wouldn't be constructive."

Most bishops aren't open to talking about allowing priests to marry because Pope John Paul II flatly opposes it, said Bishop Donald Kettler of Fairbanks, Ala.

"We've got to do what the boss wants," he said.

But Bishop Michael Pfeifer of San Angelo, Texas, said the "boss" isn't the pope, but God. A discussion about celibacy could be beneficial, he said. "We don't lose anything by listening."

Many people contend that allowing priests to marry could help address the church's chronic clergy shortage. There are 44,000 U.S. priests - 13,000 fewer than in 1965.

Polls show more than half of American Catholics are open to the idea of married priests.

In other business, Illinois Appellate Judge Anne Burke of Chicago, interim director of the bishops' national lay review board, said nearly one-fifth of dioceses have failed to respond to a survey on the extent of the sexual molestation of minors by priests.

However, Burke said she was confident all would respond in time for reports on the abuse crisis to be released on Feb. 27.

Outside the meeting, leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, distributed a list of 13 cases of what they called "known or suspected predator priests" who have remained in or been restored to active ministry. SNAP leaders said they fear the diocesan audits will be skewed because interview teams are getting only the information that bishops are willing to share.

Also Tuesday, bishops entered the fray over same-sex marriages, introducing text for a pamphlet that Catholics can use to make the argument that the only proper union is between man and woman and anything else would give society's approval to homosexuality.

The bishops will debate and vote on the text on Thursday.

The statement calls marriage a "faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman," whose sexual differences complement each other. The union is part of the "divine plan for creation" and the only place for sex, which God intended to "serve the transmission of human life."

The document adds that the Catholic view of marriage does not offend the dignity of gays.

SNIPER CASE JURY POOL PICKED: A jury should be seated today in the trial for 18-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo, the second suspect to go on trial from last year's sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area.

A final pool of 28 jurors was qualified Tuesday evening. The prosecution and defense are scheduled to present opening statements and begin testimony on Thursday.

Circuit Judge LeRoy Millette Jr. has said he will rule today on a request by defense lawyers to drop the two death penalty charges against the other sniper case suspect, John Allen Muhammad, 42. Court was not in session Tuesday in that trial.

KASPAROV, COMPUTER DRAW: Garry Kasparov, the world's top-ranked chess master, played to a draw Tuesday against computer program X3D Fritz in the first of a four-game series. The next three games are scheduled for Thursday, Sunday and Nov. 18.

- Information from the Dallas Morning News and New York Times was used in this report.

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