Here's a pertinent commentary from the fellow (not necessarily priest) who runs traditio.com...
Meritocracy is a government by those who have earned it. JPII uses the very opposite form of church government, a kakistocracy, government by the worst. It seems that JPII goes out of his way to appoint immoral, incompetent, and irregilious men to the highest positions. Ratzinger is a good example. As Prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith, the man is writing that Our Lord Jesus Christ is not the Messias for the Jews, that the true faith is not exclusive to the Catholic Church, etc. He appointed Abp. Weakland of Milwaukee, who embezzled half a million dollars from Newchurch to pay of his catamite. He appointed Bp. O'Brien, of Phoenix, who ran over a man in his car and showed no remorse until he was being sentenced.
Now we can add Wilton Gregory to the list. This man just ended his term as President of the U.S. Conference of [Newchurch] Catholic Bishops. His administration has been a scandal. The crime wave that includes all the bishops of the United States has increased, two eminent chairmen of the bishops' own Investigating Committee were fired because they told the truth.
What does Dilbert say? If a man fails at one job, promote him to a higher job. So now JPII, who can't seem to utter one word of censure against his own appointees when they deflower youth, steal from the Church, and act like (as one FBI agent put it) the Mafia, has kicked Gregory upstairs. He goes from the berg of Belleville, Illinois, now to become Newchurch archbishop of Atlanta.
The pope is supposed to be the Church's teacher, right? Well, he's teaching us plenty. He's teaching us to be as corrupt as possible so that we can attain the highest "plums" of the Church. What is that other than about as demented as you can get. If the truth were known, it may be that the man's mind went long ago, and the papacy of JPII has been null and void since about the mid 1990s.
I could add many to the list of bad episcopal appointments of JPII......these would include Mahoney, Bernadin, Law, Egan, Mansell, Keeler, McCarrick, and the list goes on. There is no way to defend these bad personnell choices in any way.
But we must consider timing in making a judgement on JPII. Early in his pontificate it could certainly be said that certain appointments, e.g. Bernadin, were made out of sheer ignorance......aided by the connivance of Jean Jadot or Pio Laghi, and other episcopal kingmakers both here and in Rome. So it might be fair to say that in those early years, the wool was pulled over his eyes.
Now in more recent times.....he tried and succeeded in making a limited number of "good" choices here and there. Minor victories.
But since his health started into serious decline over the last 7 or so years, I feel that he has been taken advantage of. Given all of the intrigue in Rome now, I do not believe that JPII is his own man........that is simply not possible. I think his "jailers" are running roughshod over him.
This is not to excuse him from culpability for bad choices when he was truly in command - he is responsible for what he has done. But, I feel that we also have to realize the reality of his condition now, and see that as a major factor in current things.
In seeking to diminish everything John Paul does,dis/misinformation is frequently passed on,on these threads,as fact. In your post you have made two statements that are not true,or if true,understandable in the light of other facts that have bearing on the event.
You state that Weakland was an appointment of John Paul II. He was not,he was appointed by Pope Paul V in 1977. If your recall both he and Bugnini were exiled from Rome after some scandal involving both of them.
The other case I have concerns about is that of my old bishop O'Brien. Our dead bishop Rausch died suddenly,three or four days after the attempted assasination of the Pope on May 13,1981. O'Brien was named interim bishop shortly thereafter,and in early November,appointed bishop of Phoenix. Since the Pope spent some time hovering between life and death and was readmitted after his first release,do you not think it fair to say that perhaps he had precious little to do with O'Brien's appointment?
If you are really serious about cleaning up the Church,you need to be far more objective and factual in information you present. If you are only interested in bringing down the Church then keep up the steady stream of negativity. Certainly you have heard about the boy who cried "wolf" too often?
BTW,if I didn't believe the Church was estblished by the Son of God, I wouldn't care. But I do believe it was and I do care.