LIVOTF REGIONAL MEETING
Thursday, May 22, 2008, 7:00
Bishop Geoffrey Robinson
Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church
Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus
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From the Introduction
“Through the story of sexual abuse and the church’s response, I came to the unshakeable belief that within the Catholic Church there absolutely must be profound and enduring change. In particular, there must be change on the two subjects of power and sex.”

About the Presenter
Drawing on his own experience in responding to abuse, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson methodically offers a critique of the church’s use and misuse of power, from the pope proclaiming infallibly down to the preacher claiming a divine authority for every word spoken from the pulpit. Going back to the Bible and, above all, to the teaching of Jesus, he presents an approach to sexual morality that is profound, compassionate, and people-centered. He stresses the priority of the hierarchy of holiness over the hierarchy of power.

He offers nothing less than a vision for a church of the third millennium—a church that wants to see in its members the responsibility appropriate to adults rather than the obedience appropriate to children and wants to help all people to grow to become all they are capable of being.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, who has degrees in philosophy, theology, and church law, was Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney from 1984 until his retirement in 2004. In 1994 he was elected by the Australian Bishops to the National Committee for professional Standards, coordinating the response of the Catholic Church in Australia to revelations of sexual abuse, and from 1997 until 2003 he was co-chairman of this committee.

Book Reviews
"[T]he importance of Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church lies in the fact that a bishop, an ecclesiastical ‘insider,’ has had the courage to challenge the institution of which he was a part and invite serious conversation regarding a broad range of church issues that have too often been declared off-limits by church leadership. If Robinson’s book opens the door to more open and responsible theological conversation by members of church leadership regarding the unique demands facing our church today, it will have fulfilled its purpose."

America

"“[T]his is a book by a good pastor who knows his sheep and accepts them as equals, as called to adult faith, and as called to be ‘healthy people in a healthy relationship with a healthy God’ (the title of Chapter One). It is a down-to-earth book, straight-talking, colloquial in style, and profoundly in touch with where we actually live life day today. . . . This is a book for all reform-minded members of the church. Its fourteen chapters proceed from a description of a healthy relationship with a healthy God to a marvelous description of the relationship between and among what is contained in the Bible, tradition, and ordinary human experience—all three viewed in the mode of dynamic processes rather than as finished products or projects.” "
Conrad T. Gromada, PhD, Professor of Theology, Ursuline College, Pepper Pike, Ohio

"In this beautifully forceful proposal of change for the Catholic Church, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson engages the structures that have contributed to the disconnection between the hierarchy and its people. With the firm belief that the entire Church must be examined in order to respond to the recent crises of sexual abuse, Robinson begins with the largest of theological topics, such as God, Tradition, and the Bible, and carefully connects these to the pragmatic topics of structure, authority, and sexual ethics. . . . It is a much-needed insider’s look at the structures of the Church and offers detailed change for growth and relevance. The bold willingness of a bishop to take on such a theologically careful exposé should be embraced as a long-overdue opportunity for faithful transformation."
Catholic Books Review
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ALL WELCOMED!

Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock
48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset, NY  11030

From the East

• LIE westbound: Exit 36 - Searingtown Rd. At light turn RIGHT on Shelter Rock Rd.  Get in LEFT LANE. At white fence & lighted sign turn LEFT into "Unitarian Universalist Congregation" entrance road to parking lot. Enter hall through glass doors.
                            
• Northern State westbound: Exit 27 N. -Shelter Rock Rd. RIGHT at Shelter Rock Rd.  Proceed North, following directions above.

From the West 

• LIE: Exit Shelter Rock Rd. Turn LEFT at light - proceed as above

• Northern State: Follow exit ramp onto Shelter Rock Rd.  Proceed as above.
                               
• Northern Boulevard: Shelter Rock Rd. ends at Northern Blvd. EASTBOUND, turn RIGHT at intersection. WESTBOUND, LEFT at intersection. Keep right. Pass Staples, Independence Bank, Shelter Rock site, entrance to Whitney Estate. At white fence & lighted sign reading, "Unitarian Universalist Congregation", turn RIGHT.  Follow directions above to parking lot and conference hall.