Befuddled by Women

MAJOR POLICY STATEMENTS PREPARED BY U.S. Catholic bishops are always worked out in a fashion that wins the final texts lopsided support. That pattern ended with a troublesome letter on women's issues that took nine years to produce. Meeting in Washington, the bishops gave the conservative final version a paltry 55.5% support, far short of the two-thirds needed for approval. The text will now be issued as a mere committee document.

Chicago's Cardinal Bernardin got through a separate motion making the paper the basis for "further study and dialogue," most notably on the church's opposition to women priests, which was endorsed in the rejected text. Bernardin backs the ban but said candidly that it is "generally not well understood or accepted" and that a more persuasive case must be made. Liberal lobbies hailed these developments. The upshot is that, contrary to Vatican wishes, the U.S. bishops have made women's ordination subject to ongoing debate.