Three archbishops and the American Catholic future

Objective??? Are you kidding??? Not for many a moon.

I agree that John Allen is generally evenhanded--Crossfire becomes exhausting at some point. I am disappointed in the sum of the three choices, however.

Whoops. Surprise on you. NCR has always been both supportive of social concerns AND faithful to Catholic teaching. You just need to understand what that means to assess NCR accurately.

Doesn’t John Allen do a rudimentary Google news search before writing his stories? You can get on the internet in Rome, last I heard.

On archbishop Jerome Listecki, alone, incredibly, in Allen’s “objective” analysis:

-- no mention that just last week the vice chancellor of the Milwaukee archdiocese, Fr. Jim Connell, very public criticism of Listecki’s abuse policy in La Crosse and wrote an open letter about his alarm over the high percentage of abusive priests cleared in that diocese (http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/96944344.html and http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_37c3ccc6-7a93-11df-a0fa-00...);
--No mention that the police chief of the diocese biggest city said that Listecki misled lawmakers in Wisconsin on his sexual abuse policy in La Crosse (http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/83585862.html);
--No mention of the controversy surrounding his refusal to remove a large bronzed relief of Weakland depicted with little children in the Milwaukee Cathedral even though Weakland covered up sex crimes by dozens of priests against children (http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-100105-snap-weakland,0,6986976.story);
-- No mention of a threat through the catholic conference to withhold communion to politicians who might back the Child Victims Act (http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/92971904.html);
--No mention of his questionable real estate dealings when in Chicago http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/79775107.html);
--No mention of his opposition to emergency contraceptives although the catholic conference didn’t oppose it (http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/79425602.html);
--No mention of his clearing a priest this year in La Crosse of sexual assault, not reporting him to police and who was then arrested it (http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_13905286-1795-11df-a32...).

All of these links are to stories reported in the major media in Milwaukee and La Crosse over the past six months. So who does Allen talk to? A “school teacher” in Milwaukee. And that’s it. Maybe he ought to get his Skype out and talk to a few more of us from this archdiocese.

Just because you write with a proto-Hegelian format (thesis one: bishops are bad; counter-theses: bishops are good; John Allen meta-synthesis: bishops are good but sometimes do bad things they don’t mean to) doesn’t make you “objective”. I get it. You got this niche space (so we can read the line “Even John Allen of the liberal NCR says…” now insert praise or qualified admiration for a conservative churchman).

Still, Mr. Allen, do at least a little basic research!

It's funny that you would say that because right-leaning Catholics could easily charge that he's a left-leaning idealogue. I would cite Allen's fairly condescending take on Pope Benedict a few weeks ago when referring to the influence of the "evil one" in the recent run of sex abuse revelations.

Referring to John Allen as the Vatican's PR man shows that he has a knack for making Catholics of every bent a little uncomfortable. I wouldn't say he's unwaveringly impartial, but I appreciate his perspective.

No, the pallium ceremony is only important to antiquarians, liturgy freaks and, historians and others mesmerized by the glittering papal court and it's ceaseless determination to live in a land of yesterdays. St. Peter and St. Paul's day is a big deal in Italy and Rome in particular. It is really the birthday of the Church of Rome in many respects and a traditional time to empart the pallium.

It is an important ceremony for focusing on some of the bishops receiving the symbol of their archepiscopate, as well. We have a chance to size up some of these future popes and cardinals. I think Mr. Allen was right to do that and he did it extremely well, as usual. His article is a textbook example of objective reporting.

If you follow the ceremony on EWTN or Youtube, you also have an opportunity to see what the pope's lastest fashion statement is in vestments, and especially miters. He seems to have a different one for almost every public event.

Pope Benedict must have one of those overpaid Hollywood PR handlers working for him. Yet, it's a pity he doesn't listen to his coutouriers more often, instead of cardinals Bertone, Sodano, and Father Lombardi.

I DO

I am continually amazed by the sheer lack of appreciation and understanding for our Church that is on display by commentors at NCR. Anonymous claims "can't think of anything less relevant than a pallium ceremony. Just what an archbishop needs...another article of fancy apparel". Lack of understanding and appreciation, dare I say, ignorance, on parade.

The pallium is an ancient symbol of the Papacy. Historically, it was worn by the Pope at various liturigcal and non-liturgical ceremonies, and then it was presented as a gift to the various Eastern Patriarchs. The pallium, presented as gift to the Patriarchs, symbolized their unity with the Bishop of Rome. It was a visible reminder of the unity of the Church. Over time, Popes began bestowing the pallium on various bishops and archbishops in the West, again as symbol of their unity with the See of Peter, and their friendship with the Pope. As the Church evolved, so too did the manner of distributing the pallium, away from the Pope's personal preference, and toward a more unified presentation. Today, the pallium is presented to all Metropolitan Archbishops (in other words, those Archbishops who have suffragan sees in their province; until relatively recently, the Archbishop of Washington, DC did not receive a pallium because, until relatively recently, his archdiocese was not a part of a province).

The pallium reminds these Archbishops that they exercise their office in unity and communion with the Bishop of Rome. It reminds the faithful who see the pallium that they and their Archbishop are a part of the larger, Universal Church. It is a profound reminder of the unity of the Church and the personal relationship that the Archbishop has with the Pope and his Archdiocese. When an Archbishop is transferred, as Archbishop Dolan was from Milwaukee to New York, that Archbishop has to be given a new pallium because that previous pallium is intimately related to the Archbishop's previous See. When the Archbishop dies, the pallia he received in his life must be buried with him, they cannot be passed on to others in a last will and testament, nor left to the Archdiocesan archives. The pallium is that special.

Now, no doubt there are some who will stubbornly insist that the pallium is just "another article of fancy apparel", but those are the folks who likely wil also insist that the unity of the Church is a falsehood, the role of the Pope is irrelevant and the Church could function better if it were run more like the 35,000+ Protestant denominations. For these folks, there is no amount of history or knowledge that will convince them, and mores the pity. But, we can pray for them and their eventual conversion to the beauty and majety, history and tradition of that Faith we are proud to profess in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

I understand that the archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who recently died in the earthquake was also one who had come to embrace the poorest of the poor.

Would it be so hard to find candidates for the priesthood if we weren't excluding half of the population? Male and female gender are an accident of procreation. Either the egg got an X chromosome or a Y chromosome. Chuck Yeager famously once said that the quality of a pilot has nothing to do with what's between their legs. I strongly believe the same is true for surgeons, teachers, and, yes, priests. Jesus chose male apostles because the Jewish culture of the time demanded it. Have you ever been to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem? I have, and to this day Jewish culture requires men and women to approach the wall in separate sections, with about 3/4 of the space reserved for men. The Vatican's insistence upon a male priesthood is denying the Eucharist in many rural areas. Compound that with bishops like the one we have here in the Oregon Baker Diocese who denies communion services led by lay ministers on weekdays in mission parishes that only see a priest on Saturday or Sunday.

Clint, Since we rarely--if ever--agree on anything written here, I do want to let you know that I do agree with your first paragraph. John Allen is a very good correspondent, and I am very glad he writes for NCR.

Glorious days? You mean of liberalism, secularism, and paganism seeping through the Church? Hand holding and kum-bay-yah? Glory days? Wake up- Orthodoxy is the only acceptable norm.

Missourian:"Come on bishops ... put your money where your mouth is." Don't you know that the bishops don't have to use "their" money because the laity keeps giving them "laymen's hard earned cash" to spend anyway they want whether its million dollar chairs for the Los Angles cathedral, or $2,500,000,000 they spent on their sexual crimes.

Totally agree!

I think your comment is there only to spew bile.

Sure many have lost confidence in the Curch, but many others have not.

You criticize and judge without even let them get to work. I think Jesus would be appalled with you, at your blind prejudice.

Let's see how they do before screaming against them like angry chimps.

HAH. There's no "r" in Chuchman. I always try and stand up for my Truth.

Craig: You noticed the most important part of the article. The only thing I would change is the wording of your "Translation." I would replace the word "CHURCH" with the word "HIERARCHY." The hierarchy no longer deserve to be included when talking about the church as the people of god. THEY SEPARATED THEMSELVES by criminally covering up the abuse of children. Their continuing defense of this universal policy is confirmed in Pope Rats words to them that they are ABOVE ALL LAW except PAPAL laws. They are not sinners like the rest of us who are subject to following local, national, and international law. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Couldn't agree with you more!

Pope Benedict is living in the past. The Holy Roman See is unable to preserve or protect liberty for itself in the days to come, let alone for any archbishop. The old man's getting a cell and he better have his cassock with the stripes ready.

Good observations James. Bishops obviously not setting the church on fire. They are chosen by one criteria "don't rock the boat" and make sure no one else rocks it either. In other words complete and total obedience to Rome, no local decisions except in compliance to what the Vatican says. Stand at attention and await your orders from Rome. They are no longer "American Catholics" except by accident of birth. They are now automatons absolutely
controlled by Rome. You don't think so? Just look at what Pope Rats said to them, your "connection to the papacy" comes with a "pledge of liberty" protecting them from any outside powers whether local, national, or international. So what power is the only power they are connected to? Only Papal power! The bishops are above the law. They are not subject to local law. They are not subject to national law. They are even above international law. The pontiff is their law.

"They are all around sixty years of age. They all seem to accept that they are local officials of a religious empire. They have pretty similar and traditional opinions. I can't see them setting their dioceses/archdioces on fire."

Thank goodness.

Pedro, that seems to be a problem for you---piano and drums, not organ music. Personally, I'm happy that there is freedom for all kinds of music in the universal Church. Gregorian chant is lovely to listen too, but it doesn't get the fires burning . . . There are many more important issues facing our Church today than slavish translation of a Latin text, which itself is not always an accurate translation of the original texts (pro multis, for example). What you and others see as restoration, some of us see as reversal to "high" language unintelligilbe to many, and stilted to most. If this is Archbishop Wenski's worst fault, more power to him! God bless them all.

I really wouldn't worry too much about the state of liturgical music, or the liturgy itself. The revised translations will make liturigcal abuse far more difficult and the crop of seminarians (for the most part, there are always exceptions) currently in formation are far more traditional than their aging hipster brethren. The result will be a much more solemn and beautiful form of worship during Holy Mass than what we have endured over the last few decades.

His Holiness is also far more traditional in liturgical style and preference than was the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, the Great. We can see that in his return to the older papal throne at Mass, his return to using the older and more traditional form of crosier, the more elegant and beautiful vestments that he wears, etc.

I join you in lamenting the loss of the true, the solemnity, beauty and majesty at Mass, to be replaced by the silly and the trivial we have endured for these 40 years. However, those days are quickly coming to an end and we will enjoy a return of beauty and majesty, reverence and awe at Holy Mass. The distortions and the deceptions of the "spirit of Vatican" will be defeated by the authentic vision of Vatican II.

I couldn't agree more.

Latin or what you call Gregorian(chant) is not the language of the people of God so why do you want it spoken during the liturgies? The Church heirarchy is trying to go back to the good old days where they all talked in Latin and their backs were to the people(because the people were not special enough for the holier than thou clerics). They also were never under any scrutiny by the peasants of the time.

Well the peasants have been educated and we would like to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the post modern world not the Middle Ages. I cannot even begin to imagine Jesus going though the prayers at the Last Supper with his back to the people gathered around the table. The heirarchy have lost all moral credibility and they talk about them guarding the teachings of the church. What a hoot! These clerics in the heirarchy are all nuts and thus have lost any touch they may once have had with reality. They all need to step down and the church(lay people and sisters and faithful priests) need to reorganize the structure.