“I suspect that this bishop doesn’t have the guts to use any of these tools that are at his disposal, but the fact is, the bishop has more of them than just declaring the university to be no longer Catholic.”
Have you been following Bishop D’Arcy for the past five years? He’s been far more outspoken against Notre Dame than most bishops are. If you made this assumption without checking out his history, then you are in the wrong—we are not supposed to engage in rash judgment.
Bishop D’Arcy read the riot act to Jenkins over the Vagina Monologues. Now this statement. Like Martino in Scranton, he’s PUBLICLY admonishing the school. (That’s a clear step beyond private jawboning, which is what Cardinal George has so far done in Chicago. He has his reasons for that and I will not second-guess him. It has already had some effect on DePaul.)
But sooner or later, after a bishop (or a parent) draws a line in the sand, he has to be willing to lower the boom when the recalcitrant crosses the line. It’s not for you or me to decide when that line has been crossed or to prejudge the bishop’s guts.
But instead of dumping on the bishop because he hasn’t called down fire from heavn on Notre Dame, we should thank him for publicly chastising the school, pray our hearts out for him, and then let time tell as to how well he deals with the university’s response. As I pointed out in other comments, he only has one real weapon in his arsenal—the nuclear option. Before he uses it, it, simply tactically, has to prepare the battlefield by public readings of the riot act. Since he will bear the brunt of the firestorm that follows the nuclear option, let him be the one to decide when to give the order to fire. We ought not be REMF’s undermining him from safety.
Instead, aim your ire at the board of trustees, the donors etc. Find out who they are and let them have both barrels.
Martino is my Bishop.
He is a real man; and a model for all the other Bishops to emulate.
“Have you been following Bishop D’Arcy for the past five years?”
No, I looked only at the (weak) action of this bishop concerning the abomination of giving an honorary degree to a baby-murderer.
“...we are not supposed to engage in rash judgment.”
Unless you tell me that he is likely to start revoking faculties - especially of the pseudo-Catholic president-priest - forbidding public Masses and interdicting various folks, it would seem that I haven't engaged in rash judgment but rather have correctly noted that the bishop will not perform these actions.
“Like Martino in Scranton, he’s PUBLICLY admonishing the school.”
Bishop Martino's words have been far clearer and far more to the point than what Bishop D'Arcy has said here so far. What's more, Bishop Martino has explicitly told the university in question that they should dissolve their “Diversity Institute.” As well, Bishop Martino has told the school to provide detailed information supporting the assertion that they teach Catholic faith. Although he can't force the school to do much of anything - you're right about that, he has laid out a specific course of remedial action as part of his vocation as pastor of his flock at the university.
“It’s not for you or me to decide when that line has been crossed or to prejudge the bishop’s guts.”
Sorry, I can no longer agree with that. Fifty million baby murders later, it's well past time for the bishops to have acted. Frankly, their failure to act with courage, boldness and decency has dramatically exacerbated and deepened the problem of abortion in this country. They share the guilt of the blood of the unborn in their sins of omission over the last three and a half decades.
I'm not judging, I'm observing. I observe that Catholic politicians believe that there are no consequence to endorsing baby murder, even Catholic PRIESTS believe that there are no consequences, either. And guess what? They are very nearly completely correct. One can count on one hand the number of bishops who have publicly disciplined pro-death Catholic politicians and Catholic priests who run Catholic-affiliated entities who have done so in a pro-death manner.
“As I pointed out in other comments, he only has one real weapon in his arsenal—the nuclear option.”
As I pointed out, he has several other options, including temporary revocation of faculties of priests, temporary banning of public Masses, and interdict against select persons (including, if appropriate, any boards of trustees, faculty senates, etc.). These are a step below the truly nuclear option of announcing that Notre Dame is no longer affiliated in any sense with the Catholic Church.
“We ought not be REMF’s...”
I don't know what an REMF is. Sorry I'm not up on the lingo.
“Instead, aim your ire at the board of trustees, the donors etc. Find out who they are and let them have both barrels.”
I'm not aiming any fire at anyone. I'm merely commenting on these current events. I haven't fired off any nasty notes to the bishop, and likely will not to the president, the trustees, or anyone else. I'm disgusted, and as a long-time member of FR and of the Catholic Caucus, I feel free to express my disgust in this open forum.
The only thing I count on from the bishops is that when they teach in union with the Holy See, they teach what is true. Jesus told us that we are to obey what they teach “from the Chair of Moses,” but otherwise not to emulate them. Sadly, it appears that most of our bishops are part-time Catholics and full-time Democrats. It is not for nothing that it is said that the floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.
sitetest
Your posts are very informative. i think the good bishop needs people to pray for him and his discernment.