Ping to some people I have been discussing this with - and, of course, to the tireless NYer!
The editors suggest that readers print out a copy of this and send it to their bishops, just as a reminder! I think I’ll do that, since my bishop (the one who led the charge against the new translation and the TLM at the bishops’ bash in Orlando) is also instituting a program here called “Just Faith,” which seems to be weekly small group (”base community”) indoctrination in the values of the Democratic Party and touts Catholic Charities and the other “Catholic” government-controlled social services agencies as the summit of Christian practice.
BUT, leaving aside the problems, I suspect it is very true that a thorough house-cleaning is the only thing that can keep things like this from happening more often.
My guess would be that there have been any number of Catholic Charities enable abortions and that CC often provides contraceptives. A bishop like DiLorenzo inherits a bureacracy. He also inherits problems. And one of the tough jobs in starting up is getting information, even getting reliable sources of information. In related news: here's an observation: In '07 I took a convert I was sponsoring to the "Rite of Election". DiLorenzo preached an wonderful sermon. It was in every respect a tour de force and it laid out with enthusiasm the wonderful call that had been issued to the catechumens and candidates and the joy which had been offered to them.
This year I sponsored a catechumen and at the Rite of Election, the bishop seemed totally bummed. It was an okay sermon, but if I were asked, months later, to summarize it, I'd say it said,"This may not be what you wanted, exactly. Despite the perfection of the Church qua Church, what we live with is massive imperfection and deep and grievous flaws. Yet this IS the Church, and HERE is where Christ will richly enter your life, and you His."
I think that what I was seeing was Bp. DiLorenzo realizing what this article says. He may have, maybe naively, thought that the staff he inherited was loyal to the Church and obedient.
For a minute, stipulate that he tried to do the right thing, and trusted his subordinates. Think of the sense of betrayal he would then feel. He cannot do his job without assistance he can trust, as regards both their moral probity and their competence. Now He is learning what it is to succeed a notoriously liberal bishop who cultivated by example a culture of disobedience.
I know most of you have him sentenced and hung. I'm not ready to reach a verdict. If half of what this article says is true, he dithered and concealed. I'm waiting to see if he comes out of this broken or energized to do the right thing and clean house.