Bishop cites fatigue, insomnia in leaving Pa. post (Martino)

An embattled Roman Catholic bishop in northeastern Pennsylvania announced Monday that he is stepping down for health reasons, saying he suffers from insomnia and crippling physical fatigue.

Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino, 63, had been leading the Diocese of Scranton since 2003 and will be leaving more than a decade before the usual retirement age of 75.

"As the song says, you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them," Martino said at a news conference. "And I think it's time to move on."

Martino had been heavily criticized by parishioners who felt his imperious leadership style and staunch defense of Catholic orthodoxy had alienated many in the diocese of 350,000. Supporters said Martino was simply enforcing church doctrine.

Martino said he submitted his resignation to the Vatican in June. Pope Benedict XVI accepted it Monday under a provision of church law in which a bishop, due to illness or "some other grave reason, has become unsuited" to carry out his duties.

The pope also accepted the resignation of Scranton's auxiliary bishop, John Dougherty, for reasons of age. Dougherty submitted his letter of resignation to the Vatican more than two years ago, when he turned 75, but it has not been accepted until now.

Martino made headlines earlier this year when he blasted a local Catholic university for sponsoring a lecture by a gay-rights advocate. He also threatened to cancel a traditional St. Patrick's Day parade Mass if event organizers honored an abortion-rights supporter.

Martino was staunch in his defense of Catholicism, was strongly anti-abortion, strongly anti-homosexual, strongly anti-Obama, strongly anti Notre Dame having Obama speak.

I don't know where you are getting your information.

Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA http://www.dioceseofscranton.org/News/ScrantonBishopsProtestNotreDameDecisionApril2,2009.asp

Over 100 Bishops Have Spoken Out on Priority of Life Issues

27. Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton

Too bad he's leaving.

Philly had Archbishop "Tough Tony" Bevilacqua who had similar problems, in particular trying to get and keep gays out of the seminary system.

Ther "light in the loafer" clergy are not leaving without a fight!

I was about to say "not going down without a fight," but thought it inappropriate.

The dissidents succeeded in splitting many or most parishes into liberal and conservative factions. I use those political terms since that’s the way the liberals usually think of themselves, although it’s really more a matter of orthodox and dissident.

When a new, strong bishop comes in, he has his work cut out for him. Liberals are liable to withhold money at the collection plates if he offends them too much. All very well to say that the faith is more important than money, but somebody has to keep the building repaired, at the least. Also, there’s a priest shortage, so a new bishop is pretty well stuck with using questionable priests, for lack of an alternative, if he wants to give his people access to Mass.

If the dissidents had been resisted earlier, it could have been quickly corrected. But now it’s a real job. I don’t envy the task of an orthodox bishop coming into a diocese that was thoroughly messed up by his predecessors, and trying to straighten it out without driving people who were never given a proper religious education out of the Church.

Still, it has to be done, or things will just continue to decay. I just hope that Catholics in America will have access to Mass and the sacraments in the future, and that we will be able to maintain the churches when the roofs need repair.

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