This guy will cave, and his bishop will tell him to. Maybe I’m cynical, but this guy will drive parishioners out of the church and the hierarchy won’t stand for that or the decrease in cash flow that will follow them leaving.
No he won’t.
Secondly, we are actually without a bishop right now. Our (former) Bishop Baker is very conservative and is now the Bishop of the diocese of Birmingham. Additionally, our archbishop is conservative too, and he and Bishop Baker and another bishop were the 3 that wrote the letter during the ‘04 election stating Catholics like Kerry should be denied communion.
He won’t cave, and his fellow pastors are just as tough as he is.
The biblical writing is on the wall, and they know it. They will do what is necessary.