what can a bishop do?

Having given fair warning to the women who are planning an "ordination" ceremony this weekend, Archbishop Burke is now doing his best to preserve the faithful of the St. Louis archdiocese from the confusion that event will cause.

Maybe a deft editor could improve on the archbishop's statement, but it wouldn't be easy. He hits all the main points-- hard-- and yet he writes with charity; his genuine pastoral concern is unmistakable.

Archbishop Burke makes it clear that he cannot fail to speak out, because his silence would be dereliction of his duty as spiritual leader. He feels the weight of responsibility, for the salvation of the women involved in the fraud and for the distress that the ceremony will cause among ordinary faithful Catholics, who will undoubtedly read about the "ordination" in blazing headline stories.

A bishop who does his duty: that's not a small blessing-- nor, these days, a common one.

Read the column, say a prayer for Archbishop Burke, and then say another that your own bishop, when the time comes (if it hasn't passed already), will answer the call of pastoral duty as diligently.

Its not the first time he has been involved in controversy.

He won’t serve communion to Pols who support abortion.

Props to Archbishop Burke, who would be my Archbishop if I was Roman Catholic. This is the same gentleman who threatened to refuse communion to John Kerry and Rudy Giuliani. That is real consistency to the stated faith. I like that and wholly respect him for it. :)

Since the controversy started attendance has grown from 200 to 700.

See though, here's the rub:

They're still wrong
and they're still excommunicated
even if they picked up 500 poor souls along the way.

Some bishops are genuinely bad, but the majority are just plain wimps. They’re afraid of the press, afraid of politicians, afraid of their clergy (afraid of everyone but the Pope, alas).

It’s good to see one who’s clearly no wimp.

Ditto!

Tomorrow the Church remembers Martin, the Fourth Century Bishop of Tours who stood firm for orthodoxy against the Arians.

Blessed is Bishop Burke, and all who likewise stand courageously for truth against all falsehoods.

If there were more Bishops like him my tagline would be unnecessary.

There is a Polish Church in St Louis that he has excommunicated because they won’t turn over millions to the diocese. The church had been given autonomy many years ago. Since the controversy started attendance has grown from 200 to 700.KThere is a Polish Church in St Louis that he has excommunicated because they won’t turn over millions to the diocese. The church had been given autonomy many years ago. Since the controversy started attendance has grown from 200 to 700.

There's a little more to it than that. It's all been debated here before. Archbishop Burke is right.

You wrote:

“There is a Polish Church in St Louis that he has excommunicated because they won’t turn over millions to the diocese.”

Wrong. The diocese never demanded St. Stan’s money. The diocese demanded the parish conform itself to canon law standards of operation. It refused. When Archbishop Burke withdrew the priests and sacraments from St. Stan’s - as is his right as bishop - the board of St. Stan’s hired a Polish priest to serve as their personal priest thereby encouraging him to commit a schismatic act. The attendance has gone up - because now every left wing nut job who wants to call himself Catholic while actually hating the Church and her teachings has a welcoming place to go!

Burke promised that St. Stan’s money would have been set aside fro St. Stan’s alone and Burke has always been a man of his word.

And even if it were about cash, rebellion is still rebellion. Schism is still schism. How much worse it would be before the judgment throne of God if you had to admit, “Yeah, I defied the bishop Your Church sent me, over cash”?

“How much worse it would be before the judgment throne of God if you had to admit, “Yeah, I defied the bishop Your Church sent me, over cash”?

Lemme ask this...how bad would it be before the judgment throne of God if you had to admit, “Yeah, I defied the bishop Your Church sent me, because he encouraged liturgical abuse and heresy”?

Not referring to Archbishop Burke, obviously.

“The attendance has gone up - because now every left wing nut job who wants to call himself Catholic while actually hating the Church and her teachings has a welcoming place to go!”

Exactly!

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