The Richard McBrien Plagiarism Controversy: Double Standard?

So our authentically conservative friends are in a mouth-foaming frenzy these days, thinking they've got Richard McBrien's scalp over allegations of plagiarism in one of his syndicated columns which (rightfully) castigated the wannabe Boston hierarchs for their agitprop campaign against O'Malley & Curia -- including, of course, Bryan Hehir: The Real American Pope.

For some reason, the exhortation of Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo to the Catholics of Boston at Sean O'Malley's 2003 installation is ringing in my ears right now: "Receive [the new archbishop] as your father in God, as well as your hierarchical superior, sent in his name by his Vicar, the Pope."

But Montalvo was only the apostolic nuncio -- who needs him (or, for that matter, a whole hierarchy) when we've got self-anointed "authentic Catholics" to order the church around, telling it what to do and how to do it?

As with all the best things in Catholic life, a category growing smaller and smaller as the years go by, Montalvo's statement was an equal opportunity salvo. The great irony of it, however, was that it was understood to be a message the Left needed to be told, a missile aimed squarely at the forehead of Voice of the Faithful.

But as they do, the Right turned reason on its head and out-polemicized even VOTF, making the Left look semi-sensibile by comparison.

Just to repeat it for their benefit: "Receive him as your Father in God, and your hierarchical superior, sent in his name by his vicar, the Pope...."

Now I'm gonna be frank with everyone: McBrien's not big on my hit parade. He's not, and I just get this creeped-out vibe every time I see him. Shivers down my spine, wincing on my face, not fun stuff. I can't say I'm a fan of his.

Therefore, in the interests of full disclosure, someone's gotta remind you lot that the same Right who are (for this week, at least) the Hunters of All Plagiarism have seen fit in the not-too-distant past to summarily dismiss, discredit and deflect even more substantive findings of plagiarism -- only difference being that those cases have involved one of their own, of course.

Remember well that last September, when reports in Rome uncovered that Fr Nicola Bux, lead writer of the Instrumentum laboris of the recent Synod of Bishops, "was 'not invited back' to teach at the [Pontifical Liturgical Institute] soon after it was discovered that he had published substantial segments of other scholars’ work 'verbatum and without direct attribution' in a 1996 book," the disclosures were met in the conservative audience with a great, big "so what?"

As one commentor wrote on these pages, "Does the fact that this guy [Bux] got caught plagiarizing ten years ago mean that he is banned forever from doing *any* writing for the Church from then on?"

Well, as the Right wants McBrien silenced forever, I doubt that same person would be asking that same question right now. But it's been asked once and so deserves repeating....

Publications and other conservatives who rallied behind Bux notably went so far as to chalk the reports up to "pressure groups" working with "affective disdain" which sought to exploit the record to influence or derail the agenda of the Synod.

Of course, there is no such mass pressure group effort working with affective disdain to undermine McBrien. That's just ludicrous. Everyone writing a screaming, mouth-foaming, over the top letter is doing so because they really, really, really -- with whipped cream and a cherry on top -- believe that plagiarism is a bad, bad, bad thing.... Except, of course, when it's being done to advance their own agenda -- which, as we all know, can (and does) forgive all manner of sins.

In closing, just look at it this way: even if McBrien is found to have plagiarised, he can follow Bux's lead and write the working document for a future Synod of Bishops. Apparently, as the record aroused no ire from the Right last time, then we can rest assured that copycatting as punishable offense is irrevocably off the table in the next go-round.

Rocco is a twerp. He uses the fact McBrien was nailed as a bald face plagarizer as an excuse to rhetorically bully faithful Catholic Laywomen who couldn't care less about his "opinions.". (I doubt that have even heard of him)

One would have to belong to Sam's Club to be able to afford the amount of Frebeze necessary to counter this redolent dung heap of a post.

Why does Rocco apparently consider "the Right" to be some sort of monolithic entity? He classifies different people as "the right," points out that their opinions differ (in this case, some anonymous commentator on the plagiarism of Fr. Bux vis-a-vis the recent statements made by others about Fr. McBrien), and so somehow "the Right" is now discredited.

To the tune, HYFRYDOL [Alleluia, Sing to Jesus; Ode to Joy, etc. 87.87.D

Dick McBrien stole some writing,
Signed and sold it as his own.
Righteous Cath'lics cried in dudgeon:
"Toss this fraud-priest from his throne!"
But when Bux, for equal hubris,
From Anselmo got the shove,
He was called to teach the Synod
On Christ's Sacrament of love.

So young Rocco, meditating
On how fickle folks can be,
Publicized the double-standard
On his blog for all to see.
Were the righteous duly humbled
By the truth of what he said?
When the message makes you nervous,
Slam the messenger instead!

Aristotle, then Aquinas,
Long ago both got it right:
Virtus stat in medio, (roughly:
"Loonies to the Left and Right.")
Or consult The Imitation,
Ancient wisdom, ours for free:
Why can't others be more perfect?
Rules for everyone but me!*

*cf. Imitation of Christ, Book I, Chapter 16, n.3

There's no way I can match that. You're inspired, partner.
I was musing, in poor rhyme, on the inequality of the execution of justice as seen from the top. Bux should be out. Not as a priest, but as a priest theologian. As such the Vatican has ruled. (I guess)
"Loonies on the right" will put this aside and continue to write him a check, from below, never asking for an explanation nor an apology. Probably because his words make them feel a little more righteous.
McBrien gets a check from above. Catholic institutions under Vatican rule. He's a theologian. (I guess) He'll always have his groupies on the left who will funnel him money no matter what happens because his words make them feel a little more righteous. But McBrien shouldn't get royalty treatment, from the top.
Well done, TaxachesettsMan. You, my friend, have a career in the writing business.

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