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Unlike the employee to the employer, the priest is bound in obedience to the bishop. If I notify the bishop of wrongdoing on the part of one of his priests, and it is serious wrongdoing, I expect him to tell the priest to stop.

Of course, as I’ve previously said, this is different. I would not at all object to Mr. Rose or his attorney writing the Bishop and asking him for help. In fact, I would suggest the Bible compells that approach whereever it can be used.

A threat, to me, is different.

If the bishop fails to instruct the priest to cease his wrongdoing, the bishop either:
- doesn't think the priest is doing wrong, in which case the bishop is, in effect, endorsing the activity;
- doesn't want to do his job, in which case he is negligent.

Or doesn’t want to micromanage his priests opinions all them time, especially on something like this that isn’t an argument over Church doctrine, just whether the seminary is doing a good job or not.

Dominus Vobiscum

patent +AMDG

Dear patent,

"A threat, to me, is different."

I understand what you're saying, there. Personally, that isn't where I would have started. If I'd been in a similar situation, I'd have suggested to my attorney that we write the bishop a nice letter imploring him for assistance. However, it may be that Mr. Rose sent the letter he sent at the urging of his attorney.

My own attorneys, over the years, have advised me to send, or have sent on my behalf, letters and things which I would not initially have sent, or had sent on my behalf. But part of hiring an attorney is placing some trust in him to do what is best on your behalf. If you aren't prepared to take your attorney's advice most of the time, you should have a different attorney.

"Or doesn’t want to micromanage his priests opinions all them time, especially on something like this that isn’t an argument over Church doctrine, just whether the seminary is doing a good job or not."

Here, I disagree. Mr. Rose wasn't accusing Fr. Johansen of having an opinion of how well the seminaries are doing. Mr. Rose was accusing Fr. Johansen of violating the Eighth Commandment against Mr. Rose, concerning Mr. Rose's book about the efficacy of seminaries.

If a bishop is unconcerned about publicly-made calumnies made by his priests against other Catholics, then the bishop is failing in his duties. To ask the bishop to intercede is not to ask him to micromanage his priests.

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