Rod Dreher on Weakland's resignation: "A Liberal Bishop and his downfall."

National Review ^ | May 24, 2002 | rod dreher

[The Iguana]

Thought this was worth posting.

I can't say I am sorry at all to see Weakland go. The real regret is that it did not happen much sooner - and for much worse.

As some have observed here on other Weakland threads, it is too late in the day and too much damage done already to be much in the mood for celebration.

If this represents the beginning of a purge of the Church, however, then it might not be in vain.

As usual, Dreher hit it on the head.

[The Iguana]

Dreher bump.

[livius]

Another bump. Good article, thanks for posting it!

[The Iguana]

I figured a Dreher commentary on this would not be long in coming.

[aristeides]

FYI.

[RAT Patrol]

This is where tolerance, as liberals define it, leads.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Good riddance to that puke. Personally, I hope this is just the beginning of his difficulties. At the very least he belongs in the gray bar hotel.

[Cicero]

As you say, firing the S.O.B. when he reached the age of 75 was more than a little late. The man was a public scandal for decades. He did incalculable damage to the people of his diocese and to the whole Church in America. When he dies, they should bury him head down under the floor of the cathedral he wrecked.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Weakland's Exit

[livius]

they should bury him head down under the floor of the cathedral he wrecked

Love the image!

Yes, I agree; in fact, they didn't actually even fire him. He'd already offered his mandatory resignation - which they delayed accepting until he became an embarrassment. Weakland clearly had/has low friends in high places.

[Willie Green]

Any chance of prosecuting Marcoux for extortion?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

If I am remembering correctly, we were calling for Weakland's removal at least 15 to 20 years ago or so in the pages of Catholicism in Crisis and The New Oxford Review. No big surprise that Weakland had a problem staying out of bottoms.

[RWCon]

I think that the whole Catholic Church became liberal after Pope John messed things up.

Like most of the established Protestant churches, the catholics became more interested in righting what they considered social wrongs than in religion.

[mrustow]

After Effinger went to jail in 1993, the boy he molested sued the archdiocese, but the suit was thrown out because the statute of limitations had expired. Weakland directed his lawyers to countersue the boy's family, and the archdiocese thereby recovered $4,000 in court costs from the victim.

(Then again, Weakland never has had much sympathy for sex-abuse victims. In 1988, in remarks that brought him rebuke from a Milwaukee law-enforcement official, the gadfly archbishop said, "Not all adolescent victims are so innocent. Some can be sexually very active and aggressive and often quite streetwise.")

The man is a monster. So, too, is his ex-lover, who should be prosecuted for extortion. (Yeah, Willie, you beat me to it.) Weakland's successor -- or somebody in Vatican City -- is morally obliged to return the $4,000 the Church improperly gained at expense of the family of Effinger's victim.

As per the Weakland Doctrine, even I -- a Jew -- must count as a "good Catholic." (Even Osama bin Ladin might make it, in the Gospel According to Weakland.)

My only complaint about Dreher's column is in his abuse of the word "gadfly." Socrates was a gadfly; Weakland was corrupt.

[Arthur McGowan]

Not a chance. The Church has paid out too much hush money already to then turn around and whine "extortion." And because Weakland was a bishop, there is the unequal power relationship, which makes it "abuse," not consensual sex.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Weakland knew Fr. Effinger was a serial pederast, yet reassigned him from parish to parish. After Effinger went to jail in 1993, the boy he molested sued the archdiocese, but the suit was thrown out because the statute of limitations had expired. Weakland directed his lawyers to countersue the boy's family, and the archdiocese thereby recovered $4,000 in court costs from the victim.

The fact that Weakland countersued the victim's family for court costs is beyond despicable, corrupt, and immoral.

[mickie]

Donohue from The Catholic League better clarify his position here before he gets another dime from me!

[Siobhan]

A Dreher home run.

Ping for the Catholic Caucus

[american colleen]

Like most of the established Protestant churches, the catholics became more interested in righting what they considered social wrongs than in religion.

Good point.

[Palladin]

Any chance of prosecuting Marcoux for extortion?

Heavens, No! Marcoux is the kind of big pouty queen who threatens suicide whenever things don't go his way. He's as homely as an old shoe, too. Rembert doesn't have very good taste.