And yet he never found the courage to bust Rembert Weakland.
His inaction against the Church's 'lavender mafia' was his biggest failing. But in many other ways he was a holy man well worth emulating.
I have a suspicion there was an ingrained factor which prevented easy extraction. Sort of like a cancerous growth with tentacles of "unknown" origin.
JPII, however, did remove a few of the theological bad apples.
I lived in Milwaukee at the time of Weakland. Throughout the Diocese there was a generally feeling of rot from within.
Vocations had all but stopped, those called took their vows elsewhere. Once great parishes were being closed and their treasures sold off.
For all this Weakland is now cast in bronze at the Cathedral of St John. The man who once wrote sarcastic replies to those who contacted him regarding the abuse of children is now permanently depicted as watching over children.