Posted on 09/08/2003 9:11:49 PM PDT by american colleen
THOU ART A WIMP FOREVER:
I went to the meeting with the bishops that Deal Hudson and Russell Shaw arranged. I did not expect much, and I was not disappointed.
The bishops were told 1. that they had to be more direct in dealing with dissenting Catholics, and 2. that they should at the least stop appointing notorious pro-abortion politicians to prominent committees (Leon Panetta at the national Review Board).
The response to 1 : we are family, doing anything might make matters worse and only help pro-abortion politicians
The response to 2 : if his bishop vouches for the orthodoxy of any member of his flock, no other bishop will ever question that decision.
We were asked not to quote people, so I will quote myself:
“We all know that bishops were chosen by the Vatican because they are diplomatic, unifiers, team players, collegial. These are good qualities. However these qualities also lead to a reluctance to confront evil, even when confrontation is necessary. This reluctance led to the scandals. When people who knew the bishop responsible were asked how the bishop could ever let such a thing go on, they invariably replied, 'He hates confrontation more than anything.'
"Bishops have to be willing to go against their personalities and confront evil. We are in a battle, we are losing it. The more Catholic a state (or Canadian province), the more pro-abortion the politicians. Catholic societies have the lowest birth rates in the world. The policy of accommodation of the past 30 years has not worked. Confrontation may not work either, but we have to try it, and at least go down fighting.”
This was the message which almost all the participants gave to the bishops, with various degrees of tact.
But, as was obvious, nothing will change.
Hostility (see Mark Shea’s blog) is generally reserved for those who complain about outrageous goings–on, not the people who perpetrate the outrages. A bad conscience hurts.
Bishop Wilton Gregory, President of the USCCB Theodore Cardinal McCarrick of Washington, D.C. Bishop William Friend of Shreveport, LA Msgr. William Fay, USCCB General Secretary Msgr. Francis Maniscalco, USCCB Communications Director Kathleen McChesney, director of the USCCB’s Office of Child and Youth Protection Raymond Arroyo, EWTN News Director Pat Cipollone, Kirkland & Ellis partner William Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Greg Erlandson, Publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Professor of History at Emory University Dr. Robert George, Professor of Politics at Princeton University Frank Hanna, III, CEO of HBR Capital, Ltd. Barbara Henkels, Board Member of the Catholic Leadership Conference Paul Henkels, CEO of Henkels & McCoy, Inc. Tom Hoopes, Executive Editor of National Catholic Register Mother Assumpta Long, Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist Peggy Noonan, commentator and columnist for the Wall Street Journal Robert Novak, commentator with CNN Kate O’Beirne, Senior Editor of National Review Fr. David O’Connell, President of the Catholic University of America Timothy O’Donnell, President of Christendom College Russell Shaw, co-host of the meeting, writer and editor Gene Zurlo, President of the Catholic Radio Association Denis Coleman, Ambassador for the American Consulate in Bermuda Bernard Dobranski, Dean of Ave Maria School of Law Jeffrey Wallin, President of the American Academy for Liberal Education William Plunkett, Jr., Plunkett & Jaffe partner Leon Suprenant, President of Catholics United for the Faith Sister Joseph Andrew, Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist Patrick Madrid, Publisher of Envoy Magazine Father Richard Gill, L.C., Director of Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center Gregory Popcak, Director of the Pastoral Solutions Institute Dr. Thomas Dillon, President of Thomas Aquinas College Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, Office of Lt. Governor for the state of Maryland Fr. Terence Henry, President of Franciscan University Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life Carol McKinley, Faithful Voice Rep. Michael Ferguson, U.S. House of Congress Mark Ryland, Vice-President of the Discovery Institute Kathryn Jean Lopez, Associate Editor of National Review John Klink, former Diplomat of the Holy See to the UN Leon Podles, Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazine Cortes DeRussy, former President of Federated Capital Corporation Brian Saint-Paul, Editor of CRISIS Magazine
—Leon Podles 4:33 PM
When the Vatican starts lowering the hammer, the bishops will also.
What makes you think differently?
I' going home from work in two minutes - not ignoring you!
I'll agree with this, especially after the sexual abuse scandal.
The bishops have compromised their crediblity for a generation.
You know there are some really wonderful and holy bishops... imagine how hard it must be to be them?
What the bishops do and don't do matters a lot but it's not everything. I just worry about the possible converts who are repelled and/or offended. Probably all of us, if we are willing and able, have an indult that is sort of accessible - if we don't want to deal with our own parish bs. And the bishops... you get your good ones and you get your bad ones... always been that way, I guess.
When I was a kid I got kicked in the pants pretty good. My mother had an affair with a priest and so my parents ended up divorced. The Church gave her an annulment even though my dad didn't want one. Then all the collages and posters and CCD garbage. So I kind of left for a while. Until it came to me that the priests and the bishops weren't the Faith at all. They can help if you let them and they can hurt if you let them.
And none of it will matter at the end! Although I'll take one of whatever stripe please, at the end ;-)
And ours, in a way. It's certainly a time to live out your Faith instead of talking about your Faith (unless specifically asked).
Another psycological test? ;-) Lord! Spare us!
How about what we need now are men of great faith, great trust in God, honesty, integrity and bravery in the face of a culture that is fallen.
These priests and bishops didn't pop out of a vacuum, I would guess that most of them had fathers and grandfathers and uncles, family friends and blood brothers who are good and faithful fathers to their children. It seems that it is a loss of faith or a fear of fully living His word. It's hard to take a firm stand on the side of natural Law, God's Law. Just look at us! If we all embraced our faith and His Word, the culture would be in a different place than it is now.
Sometimes I think that the bishops reflect us.
And the felt banners. You can't forget the felt banners.
I start to froth when I think of CCD in the 70s and some stuff escapes me. Thanks for the reminder!
Is that what Delaney is waiting for or Roger Cardinal McPhony in LA? Weakland would have cracked down but he did not perceive a signal from the Vatican? Bernardin would not have had his estate pay to have his funeral music provided by the "Windy City Gay Men's Chorus" if only the Vatican had signalled disapproval of the love that once dared not speak its name? Cardinal Law would have been a champion of the Faith but he did not get a telegram? Pilarczyk and Pilla just did not get the chance to be Catholic because the mail didn't arrive? Puhleeeze!!!!!!
Furthermore, it is up to the ordinary of the diocese to clean his own house. As Catholics, we have a tradition of subsidiarity expecting the power to be exercised as close to the scene of the evil as feasible. The Vatican is doing its job by replacing the cowards and apostates with Catholic bishops. The Vatican's problem was in allowing organized leftists to influence the choice of bishops in years past. Let the games begin. Let the purge be thorough. Let the thumbs be turned downwards and let us hear the last of Kumbaya "Catholicism" and of AmChurch.
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