DETROIT, June 12 (UPI) -- Some U.S. Catholics say they want changes in the church, allowing priests to marry and giving women a more prominent role in its male-dominated hierarchy.
The call for change came amid a three-day conference sponsored by the American Catholic Council at the Cobo Center in Detroit, which ends Sunday with a scheduled mass, The Detroit News reported.
About 2,000 people took part in the conference, which the Archdiocese of Detroit has criticized.
"We want nothing more than to have the church strong again," said Janet Hauter, chairwoman for the event.
The Archdiocese of Detroit threatened to defrock priests or deacons if they carried through with plans to celebrate mass at the Cobo Center.
Archbishop Allen Vigneron said Sunday's planned liturgy would not be celebrated "with my permission as required by law and the good order of the People of God."
"You are expressing yourself in the faith you love," said Evelyn Decherski of Southgate. "You should not face religious sanction."
Church officials asked the Catholic Council to cancel the conference, but it refused.
"The Detroit archdiocese has been and is troubled by a gathering that features speakers who are openly separated from the Catholic Church," spokesman Ned McGrath said in a statement Sunday.
"Regrettably, the [organization holding the event] portrays itself as something other than what it is, relying on contributors whose credibility is chiefly among each other. There is great concern for those in attendance exposed to agendas that are confusing or, even worse, damaging to their faith."
