Conservative lay Roman Catholics urged U.S. bishops Monday to refrain from putting dissenters to the church's teachings on boards and in other high-profile positions.
They asserted that the problems facing the church are not the result of its fundamental teachings and that putting dissidents in positions of authority would undermine doctrine and weaken bishops.
They cited Leon Panetta's appointment to the National Review Board, a group of 13 lay Catholics asked by the bishops to monitor their response to the church's sexual abuse scandals.
Princeton University professor Robert George, one of the principals in a daylong meeting with Catholic leaders, said Panetta, a former congressman and chief of staff to President Clinton "fundamentally rejects the teaching of the church" on abortion.
The review board is supervising two investigations — a statistical survey of abuse cases and an audit of how each U.S. diocese is complying with reform policies — and has been the subject of criticism before. Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating resigned as the board's chairman in June after drawing criticism for comparing some church leaders to the Mafia.
The meeting Monday was an unusual one between senior clergy and lay people. Conservatives wanted their say after bishops sat down with more liberal Catholics in a similar session in July.
Conservatives also discussed with the bishops how and when the hierarchy should reprimand public officials who are Catholic and contradict the church's beliefs on issues such as abortion.
"We will not honor pro-abortion public officials who call themselves Catholic," said Deal Hudson, editor of the conservative Catholic magazine Crisis.
The conservatives said they were not trying to drown out discussion in the church and welcomed debate on issues such as priestly celibacy and capital punishment. "We understand that the bishops have to listen to everybody," said Hudson.
George said the group encouraged bishops to deal with the sex abuse scandal decisively and honestly, but urged them to look forward, not back, and not let the matter debilitate them as they tackle crucial issues in the years ahead.
"There was no pressure on the bishops to prejudge this issue," George said. "I trust our bishops on this."
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops would not comment because it wasn't the bishops' meeting, said spokesman Bill Ryan.
Among those attending the meeting were Bishop Wilton Gregory, U.S. Conference president; Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington; Bishop William Friend of the archdiocese of Shreveport, La.; Bishop William Skylstad of the archdiocese of Spokane, Wash.; and Bishop Robert Lynch of the archdiocese of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Conservatives were worried that liberals who met the bishops in July were using their access to clergy to press for advantage. Hudson said that, for the bishops, the July meeting "became a cautionary tale — don't let themselves be used by people."