Bishops in Colorado for crucial dialogue
Progress on abuse-related reforms and the role of Catholics in public life are on this week's agenda.By Eric Gorski
Denver Post Staff Writer

Post / Andy Cross
The Rev. Franco Plascencia celebrates Mass
at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in
Denver. Democratic Senate candidate Ken Salazar,
who supports abortion rights, attends the church.More than 250 U.S. Roman Catholic bishops will gather in Denver this week for a critical closed-door meeting at a time when divisions have appeared in their ranks.
In recent months, the leaders of America's largest religious denomination have staked out different positions on the church's proper place in the political arena, whether some church teachings should be emphasized over others, and whether Communion should be a forum for judging how Catholics stand on issues.
One goal of the six-day Denver summit, which begins Monday at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Arapahoe County, is to narrow those gaps and find consensus where possible, observers say.
"The bishops don't like the appearance of arguing or disagreeing in public because they value very much the image of a united church," said the Rev. Tom Reese, editor of America, a Jesuit magazine. "Having different bishops say different things just destroys this image of unity."
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