Tom Allio, who worked for the diocese of Cleveland for over 31 years and who retired as head of their Social Action Office in 2010, has a very moving article posted about the situation in Cleveland. He commends Bishop Richard Lennon for his recent comments about his own failures as a bishop and hopes that those comments reflect a genuine change of heart, a conversion if you will. Allio's words are words of hope, faint hope to be sure at this point, but hope nonetheless.
It is good for all Catholics, as we engage each other on contentious and important issues, when we are about to give up on those with whom we disagree or dismiss their concerns, when we are convinced, absolutely convinced that we are right and they are wrong, just then it is important to remember the virtue of hope. Allio's comments are not Suzy Sunshine, but they breath Christian hope. For me, as for Peguy, the four words with the greatest power to bring a human to tears are: "A man had two sons...."
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