Father,
I’d be interested to hear your comments on this thread.
Most of the bishops in the U.S. have been chosen from among the worst priests—the climbers and networkers. Four percent of priests were abusers; sixty-six percent of bishops covered up for them.
When abortion was becoming an issue in the U.S., around 1968, and for decades after, about 90% of American bishops were men whose fathers were members of one of the big trade unions. I.e., they were Yellow Dog Democrats, and quite a few were Red Diaper Babies.
There have been some better appointments recently, but Dolan, O’Malley, Wuerl, and Gomez are throwbacks to the “Jadot bishop” era: Democrats first, Catholics second.
The laity have taken virtually ALL the initiative in the Catholic Church when it comes to opposing abortion, and have been treated like scum by most bishops. Only two or three bishops supported the Rescue Movement. Many condemned it repeatedly.
The bishops of the U.S. have had nothing to say about the trampling of liberty by the U.S. Government, except concerning the HHS Abortion Mandate. And it is universally acknowledged that when push comes to shove, only a handful of bishops will refuse to pay for birth control, sterilizations, and abortions. The rationalizations have all been formulated.
If the Catholic Church survives on the North American continent, the Catholic bishops will not merit any mention in the history of how it happened—except for a recounting of the opportunities they ran from.
If the Pope is pinning any hopes for the Church in America on the bishops, he is deluded. If he thinks the USCCB is going to be an instrument for good, he is hallucinating.