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Archbishop Burke will help shape world's episcopate
Key post: A small but significant appointment
Oct. 23, 2009
Archbishop Raymond L. Burke (CNS)
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PDF versionVATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI's naming of U.S. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke to the Congregation for Bishops was a small but significant appointment that could have an impact on the wider church for many years to come.
The congregation's members generally meet every two weeks to review candidates for vacant dioceses and make their recommendations to the pope -- recommendations that carry a lot of weight. Precisely for that reason, the Congregation for Bishops is known as one of the most important Roman Curia agencies.
Membership on the congregation is a five-year appointment, which could be renewed until a prelate's 80th birthday. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Burke, 61, will be helping to shape the episcopate, not only in the United States but also around the world.
Formerly the archbishop of St. Louis, Burke was named in 2008 as head of the Vatican's highest tribunal, known as the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature. At the time, pundits wondered whether the appointment would in effect sideline someone who had been one of the most outspoken U.S. bishops on moral and political issues.
Burke has been anything but silent, however. Since his Vatican appointment, he has insisted that holy Communion be refused to Catholic politicians who actively support legal abortion, said the Democratic Party in the United States "risks transforming itself definitively into a 'party of death,'" and said nothing could justify casting a ballot for a candidate who supports "anti-life" and "anti-family" legislation.
In mid-October, he celebrated a pontifical high Mass in St. Peter's Basilica using the 1962 Roman Missal, known as the Tridentine rite -- the first time that has happened in almost 40 years.
Burke, who is expected to be named a cardinal in coming months, will join about 30 other cardinal and bishop members of the Congregation for Bishops. Although the congregation's work is strictly confidential, sources explained in detail what the archbishop will be doing in his new role.
Unlike several other Roman Curia agencies, which may draw their full membership together only once a year, the Congregation for Bishops meets regularly every two weeks. The meetings last all morning, and typically bishops' appointments for four dioceses are reviewed at each session.
Even before the meeting, congregation members are sent abundant documentation on the candidates for each diocese, and they are expected to be familiar with the material. This is information collected by the apostolic nuncio in the country where the diocese is located; a large part of the packet is comprised of the written evaluations requested of some 30 to 40 people who know the candidate.
At the congregation's meeting, one member acts as the "ponente," or presenter, reviewing the information and making his own recommendation on the "terna," or list, of three candidates. Each member, in order of seniority, is then asked to give his views -- in effect, offering a judgment on whether the candidates are worthy and suitable, and in what order they should be recommended.
The process was described by one source as a "thorough vetting," with ample discussion and exchanges. The congregation's overall recommendations -- along with any doubts, questions or minority opinions -- then go to the pope. He usually approves the congregation's decision, but may choose to send it back for further discussion and evaluation.
One thing is certain: Being a member of the Congregation for Bishops is a time-consuming task. Insiders say the preparation work for each meeting takes many hours. And the congregation members are expected to show up for the meetings -- which helps explain why all but a handful of the members are cardinals and bishops living in Rome.
More importantly, members know they are dealing with decisions that will affect the future of the church and the salvation of souls.
"It's a very serious procedure, because a bishop has a heavy responsibility in the church. It's an exercise in prudential judgment, and the weight of it is felt by everyone involved," said one Vatican official.
Burke joins three other U.S. members of the congregation. Two of them, Cardinal Bernard F. Law and Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, reside in Rome, while the third, Cardinal Justin Rigali, is the archbishop of Philadelphia.
Very occasionally, for a vacancy in a U.S. diocese, the U.S. members may have input at an earlier stage, if they are asked by the nuncio to recommend candidates or comment on the state of the diocese.
Congregation members do give particular attention to appointments in their native countries, but more often than not they are looking beyond their home borders: In 2007, for example, of the 179 bishops' appointments handled by the congregation, only 13 were in the United States.
Gods Bless Archbishop Burke
Gods Bless Archbishop Burke
i am from st louis and have
i am from st louis and have been a supporter of burke. i have been with him on all the controversial decisions he had to make while in st. louis. he was not popular here in st louis but, as he once said on tv: "what good am i if i don't teach the faith."
g
I am also from St. Louis, and
I am also from St. Louis, and one of my happiest days as a Catholic was when this guy was sent to Rome. He is a tiny, unhappy, bitter bully. Good riddance to a man with a tremendous ego and not much else.
Que Dieu BLESSE Raymond
Que Dieu BLESSE Raymond Beurke!
NOT to rehash the article
NOT to rehash the article here but these seem salient points:
"At the time, pundits wondered whether the appointment (to the Signatura) would in effect sideline someone who had been one of the most outspoken U.S. bishops on moral and political issues. Burke has been anything but silent, however."
So, now, finding that he has been anything but silent, and in fact spends much time lunching in Washington with his friends, we find this new appointment:
"One thing is certain: Being a member of the Congregation for Bishops is a time-consuming task. Insiders say the preparation work for each meeting takes many hours. And the congregation members are expected to show up for the meetings -- which helps explain why all but a handful of the members are cardinals and bishops living in Rome."
They meet every two weeks. No more time for DC power lunches, in effect, in fact, sidelined? . . .
Please pray for our Church and retreat to refuge in Latin America
Will they find any Latino Bishops to serve the growing demographic in the USA? One who is not Opus only?
frère charles du désert OSB OBLAT (Congrégation de Subiaco)
Fair warning: More of the
Fair warning: More of the same-o, same-o.
Any doubts remaining about
Any doubts remaining about the direction of this papacy have just been answered very decisively.
life looks rather bleak for
life looks rather bleak for the US church. I'm expecting the announcement of the canoniztion of Ronald Reagan any day now.
I don't think, he was
I don't think, he was Catholic.
An inspired choice for such
An inspired choice for such an important position.
Bishops should be nominated
Bishops should be nominated and elected by each diocese, using both lay people and clerical. They should NEVER be nominated and selected by the boys in Rome. The bishop of Rome should not even be involved in the process. The entire system is decaying rapidly in Rome so we may see significant changes sooner than most think.
Umm, real quick... 1. The
Umm, real quick...
1. The Church is not a democracy. So why should we expect to be able to vote?
2. We are Roman Catholics, therefore Rome does and should have final say.
3. Usually Bishops are from a different diocese then the one in which they are given. There are many good reasons for this, specifically, allowing the bishop to have some objectivity in how things are done in the diocese.
Rj on Oct. 26, 2009. You
Rj on Oct. 26, 2009.
You stated:
"Umm, real quick...
1. The Church is not a democracy. So why should we expect to be able to vote?
2. We are Roman Catholics, therefore Rome does and should have final say.
3. Usually Bishops are from a different diocese then the one in which they are given. There are many good reasons for this, specifically, allowing the bishop to have some objectivity in how things are done in the diocese."
------------------------------------------
The early Church was a democracy---the people voted for their bishops. Saints
Ambrose and Augustine were elected by the people of their diocese. In addition to this, the Christian emperors of Rome(all laity), convoked all of the early ecumenical councils and several enacted laws for the internal discipline of the Church. The monarchical style did not develop for a few more centuries. But this style or exercise of authority in isolation from the faithful community (of the laity) is out of place in the churches. It is at odds with the Spirit-filled and profoundly participative nature of the church.
I know of a few dioceses who have had native sons become bishops of their home diocese. Example: Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl (now in Washington, DC) was a native of the Pittsburgh Diocese when he was made bishop of it. His successor, Bishop David A. Zubik, is also a son of the Pittsburgh Diocese. They knew, first hand, the temper and spirit of the people whom they were called to serve.
The Pope is the supreme ruler
The Pope is the supreme ruler of the Catholic Church. This is an infallible doctrine (de fide) which can be found in the "Fundamentals of the Catholic Faith" by Dr Ludwig Ott. This is also why collegiality is a false doctrine. Liberal bishops tried to get this false doctrine into the Vatican Council II which was a pastoral council and did not define any new doctrine.
There is a statement on it but there is also a cryptic note to explain it away by papal interpretation. This is a good reason for annulling the whole Council. Catholic teaching has always been defined by crystal clarity like my posts. All this changed with the robber council!
I agree. The Church risks
I agree. The Church risks becoming so out of touch with its people, it will become irrelevant in their lives. We need to stop this Rome and Pope worshipping and look at the poor organizational dynamics of the church.
The trite old adage "The
The trite old adage "The Church is not a democracy" has been used by the heirarcy for the last century to attempt to justify the fact that they need to disempower the laity and their priests in order for them to be empowered. What they are saying is "only the heirarcy is blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit". It make good sense for them to conclude that democracy should not be part of God's church because an important teaching of the "Infallible Magisterium" instructs us to agree with the encyclical of St. Pope Pius X condemning democracy in any form as one of the world's great evils.
"The Church is not a
"The Church is not a democracy."
Umm, what is it, then?
"Usually Bishops are from a different diocese..."
This practice was a comparative historical novelty.
Until the close of the First
Until the close of the First Vatican Council in 1870, the local election of bishops was the rule in the RC church for all areas of the world except mission territories that were always under Rome’s direct supervision. Unfortunately, given how America was discovered, developed and fought over by the French, Spanish and English, America was always a mission territory; this resulted in the fact that the US never ever had the history of electing its own bishops.
Vatican I was called to promote the temporal power, authority, and prerogatives of Rome as a temporal government (land owner) in a Europe war torn from the Austro-Prussian War that yield to the recognition of the Kingdom of Italy as a threat to Rome. The safety of Rome was to establish the Pope as supreme to all other pastors and bishops and thus superior to all other kings and princes. Vatican I defined and decreed the concept of Papal Infallibility and decreed that henceforth ALL bishops worldwide would be appointed by the Pope. The bishops in Council and during its lead-up were more concerned with the diminution of their own authority as bishops so more careful attention was paid to the definition and details of decreeing Papal Infallibility than to the Roman usurpation of appointing bishop’s successors, which bishops saw more as a diminution of their local kings, princes, noblemen, which didn’t bother them as much as a loss of their power and position as a bishop: in their own diocese or sitting in Council.
In my opinion, the two biggest assaults to the strength and vitality of the RC church was Vatican I with Papal Infallibility and Papal appointment of all bishops world wide, and the recent Twentieth Century imposition of the concept of “term” pastors. Prior to 1870 bishops were a check and balance to the Papacy and Roman domination just as local pastors-for-life under Canon Law were a check and balance to the local bishop who was also there for life with no mandatory retirement age. Bishops and the Pope and bishops and their pastors all had to work together and get along together, accommodations were made, compromises were made, local people (admittedly through their noblemen or Princes) had bishops who reflected the needs of the local area. Prior to 1870 the church as a faith community was more solidly grounded and run than today. In 1870 the perceived needs of the church as a government or country in Italy yields to what we have today. If power corrupts, land corrupts even more.
Just one important
Just one important correction: The first bishop of Baltimore was elected by his clergy.
After him, however, it was all downhill as far as ancient tradition was concerned.
The popes took over.
And look where it would get us :(
What a shame!
John Carroll also celebrated
John Carroll also celebrated Mass in Latin ad orientem. Then the Consilium took over. And look where it got us.
Heaven help the Catholic
Heaven help the Catholic Church! Burke is a theological and liturgical reactionary. He barely set foot in St. Louis when he provoked a schism.
If this guy is now a bishop-maker we are all in trouble.
Steve
You took the words out of the
You took the words out of the mouths of a great many St. Louis Catholics. He was a disaster here, throwing his weight around. But if you are lonesome for him, you can catch him on Fox News occasionally. He's there spouting the Republican line. Another reason I was glad to see his heels.
Just another act of
Just another act of self-destructiveness by Rome. And unilateral as usual. I may join ECUSA as many of my Catholic friends already have. Same basic theology but far less totalitarian governance -- and I won't have to care about what cultural reactionaries Burke foists onto Catholics who have zero say in their supposed "leadership."
But ECUSA does not have the
But ECUSA does not have the Real Presence, or is the concept of "governance" more important to you than being able to consume the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Dear Lord, Jesus Christ? In addition, you will be placing yourself outside the Church and therefore numbered with the devil and his reprobates who are damned to eternal hellfire. But, its your choice.
Dear Tom A; Does your
Dear Tom A;
Does your condemning ECUSA assure, destine you to eternal heaven?
There's several passages in
There's several passages in Matthew I would recommend you read before getting on your high horse to other people. Specifically Matthew 7, 23, and 25.
There can't be much worse
There can't be much worse than to express opinion as fact...you or anyone else
can not state beyond a self-inflicted opinion on the 'Real Presence'. Your whole paragraph reeks the very arrogance and intolerance and unbearable attitude which the enlightened world is well aware, save you. The Church is a gathering of all accepting of the Xt, and can not be destroyed by the will of those who have arrogated authority and power to itself and demand obedience to irrational thought and deed.
Rewarded for "bad" behavior
Rewarded for "bad" behavior is a consistent theme in the Vatican & Curia. First came Law who ruined
the Boston Archdiocese, now Burke, who ruined St Louis! Who's next? !11
Cardinal Mahony of Los
Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles!! He's the worst of the bunch!
As the Vatican spokesperson
As the Vatican spokesperson says about this committee, "...It's a very serious procedure, because a bishop has a heavy responsibility in the church. It's an EXERCISE IN PRUDENTIAL JUDGMENT [emphasis added}, and the weight of it is felt by everyone involved," said one Vatican official."
If so, then why is Cardinal Law, formerly of Boston, who fled the country to avoid being legally cited as a possible enabler in criminal obstruction of justice, etc, on this committee to "vet and choose" nominees for future Bishops for the world-side Church???
After the years of moving corrupt priests around his diocese to harm even more parishes, what part of "habitual habits of serious sin tend to indicate possible mortal sin and deliberate rejection of God's grace, and DEFINITELY A POOR REPUTATION AND CHARACTER" did he fail to understand and apply in his pastoral reign in Boston?
Well, from his own experience, he sure can advise them on how to look for "viri probii" (Men of good character and proven abilities"!!
Surely the spokesperson is making a feeble attempt at an early Halloween joke.
Well we see where the future
Well we see where the future appoints of Bishops will be headed, back to the middle ages. God help our Church now, only conservative will be welcome in the church.
This is a scary thing to
This is a scary thing to contemplate, Archbishop Burke is no friend to those of us who consider ourselves moderates who see the hope of change coming to the Church. He is known as a hard-line conservative fanatic who makes Ronald Reagen look like a liberal. This man is a hater of anything that questions the absolute divine right of Bishops to run their diocese like the feudal lords ran their fiefdoms in olden days.
I pray all the best for
I pray all the best for Archbishop Burke. We are indeed blessed to have him as one of the shepards of our Church. I know many readers here will have nothing good to say about him. Try to be charitable, I thought liberals were "tolerant." So be tolerant to traditionalists, otherwise you will become the "intolerant" person you so despise.
It is "shepherd" not
It is "shepherd" not shepard...
and we need more shepherds and fewer political leaders in the Roman Church;
Tolerance is something I keep
Tolerance is something I keep hoping to hear in Archbishop Burke. I haven't had the pleasure of hearing any indication of tolerance from him.
Besides, tolerance aplenty has been shown by Rome for virtually any bishop whose pastoral style has wreaked havoc in their dioceses. Only the greatly tolerant Vatican would have the audacity to use Bernie Law on this congregation. It's mind boggling in it's tolerance.
Cut the attack on "liberals".
Cut the attack on "liberals". Most liberals left the church years ago. Not everyone who is to the left of you is a liberal. Many are just moderates. So many, like you, have moved so far to the right that anyone who actually has a live and let live attitude is considered a liberal. Too bad for the church. It will end up like the GOP....all alone on the right.
This is wonderful news. The
This is wonderful news. The man is a true spiritual father.
More bad news about Bishop
More bad news about Bishop Burke. He caused a stir in La Crosse Wi and upset the Poles in St. Louis. Maybe Rome wants to keep the American bishops on a short leash.
More bad news about Bishop
More bad news about Bishop Burke. He caused a stir in La Crosse Wi and upset the Poles in St. Louis. Maybe Rome wants to keep the American bishops on a short leash.
Just one more reason people
Just one more reason people leave the Roman Catholic Church. I include myself.
Dear Goose: I am really sad
Dear Goose:
I am really sad whenever I hear some good and conscientious Catholic leaving the Catholic Church. Forget the church and put aside the church, but throw yourself in Jesus' love who is present in the Sacraments. The sacraments are the only real and living inheritance Jesus gave and is giving us. We are Jesus's Family members, the other is only a human monarchical and kierachical institution. If we can distiguish the difference between faith and church, then we will choose the right one - the FAITH in the Living Jesus Christ.
How can you have the
How can you have the sacraments without the Church??
oy vey. we'll get more
oy vey. we'll get more appointments like that young bishop in souix falls or portland's malone. men more concerned about the culture wars than anything of the spirit. pretty soon all the grand old bishops will be gone. i long for bishops in the mould of cardinal bernadin...
This is what happens when
This is what happens when there are few vocations. The mediocre rise to the top...yes men, toadies, guys like this who loves to wear a train, for Pete's sake and is, I would bet the rent, one of the people who is having the American nun's investigated. I see his tiny hands all over that debacle. He's a big right winger who keeps popping up on Fox News. He is enamored of his own voice and has stated that he wishes the Church was as it had been in the 50s when he was a boy. I'll bet he does. No one ever questioned a bishop on anything, the nuns were in the convents, and we believed what we were told to believe. Made life simpler when your big ambition was to be a Prince of the Church and live like one.
Archbishop Raymond L. Buke
Archbishop Raymond L. Buke should be rebuked in the harshest, stearnest possible way.
For What?
For What?
Esther, surely you jest.
Esther, surely you jest.
Well, after posting that
Well, after posting that question, I clicked on Yvon Thivierge's name and went to his blog. Truly disgusting, if Archbishop Burke is incompatible with someone who produces that, that is probably a good thing.
Unlike Esther and Raymond
Unlike Esther and Raymond Burke, Jesus was not anti-sexual nor homophobic or misogynistic. And you say it is a good thing that you are incompatible with Him?
I see your critical thinking
I see your critical thinking skills are non-existent. Calling Archbishop Burke and me names will get you nowhere, after seeing the evil anti-Catholic material you produce, I must consider the source.
I can't wait for the
I can't wait for the continuation of orthodox bishops! We all saw what the "Jadot bishops" brought to the Church in the United States: decline in Mass attendance, 2 completely uncatechized generations, rampant liturgical abuse to the point of downright sacrilege in some places, a sex abuse crisis created in large part by a vast number of homosexual priests acting out with teenage boys and other men (we all know it was largely not a "pedohile" crisis but homosexual relationships with teenagers) and the cover-up by these same bishops.
I can see why you post as
I can see why you post as anonymous. You've drank so much of the kool aid you can't remember your own name.
Burke will go down in history
Burke will go down in history with O'Connell of Boston and McIntyre of Los Angeles as one of the great reactionary archbishops of all time. I'm not sure if it's better that he's in Rome (where his impact can be diffuse on a wide variety of dioceses) or putting his stamp on a single archdiocese for decades.
so the grand inquisitor is
so the grand inquisitor is going to see that all politicians that think women are able to chose for themselves whether to reproduce or not will be denied communion. I'll aplaud their "culture of life" when they deny communion to those who vote to authorize wars in which hundreds of thousands or even millions may be killed or those that support capitol punishment, a penalty that only the poor and disadvantaged,and sometimes the innocent, need suffer.
Much of one to talk about a
Much of one to talk about a culture of life. How about the inhumane war American women have waged on their unborn fellow citizens? 50 million homicides and counting. Looks like the church's "justice and peace crowd" intends to make Hitler look like a choir boy.
Amen.
Amen.
Fantastic News. Ad multos
Fantastic News. Ad multos annos.
God bless His Excellency and
God bless His Excellency and guide him!
Great news!
This is fantastic news!
This is fantastic news! Archbishop Burke is a wise and holy man. There is no one better to shape the episcopate of the future.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Long Live Pope Benedict!
These people that make the
These people that make the rude comments about Archbishop Burke , have never met him , don't know him , and would not know a good and sound Bishop if they ran into one head on !! Praised Be Jesus Christ ! Long live Pope Benedict XVI.
That Cardinal Law is a member
That Cardinal Law is a member of the Congregation for Bishops and has any input whatever in the selection of American bishops, or bishops of any other nationality, is an outrage and a disgrace.
It is a thumb in the eye of the good people of the Archdiocese of Boston, who are still paying in so many ways for his negligent leadership.
It demonstrates the Vatican's complete lack of pastoral sensitivity.
Cardinal Law is nearly almost
Cardinal Law is nearly almost 78 and will be getting off the Congregation for Bishops soon enough. As for Archbishop Burke, I know that he will continue to work to better the American hierarchy. Look at the wonderful appointments we have had the last year or two. The tide is turning, and thankfully, in the right direction. Now, if we can just get the nuns in line.
It is not only Cardinal Law
It is not only Cardinal Law who let down the people of Boston, it was Bishop Murphy of Rockville Centre and Archbishop Hughes of New Orleans.
The one bishop in Boston with great moral courage to stand his ground was Bishop D'Arcy of Ft Wayne - South Bend. He was banished by Cardinal Law.
It is not only Cardinal Law
It is not only Cardinal Law who let down the good people of Boston, it was Bishop Murphy of Rockville Centre and Abp. Alfred Hughes of New Orleans.
There was one bishop who stood his ground re: the coming sex scandal. His name is Bishop D'Arcy of Ft Wayne - South Bend. For his efforts Cardinal Law had him banned to the diocese aforementioned.
This is an abomination! This
This is an abomination! This is all about power and control and has nothing to do with Good News. As a matter of fact, this is really Bad News.
You know, after seeing so
You know, after seeing so many people basically saying "Ugh! Not Burke! This is really BAD!" or something close to it, I wonder how many will actually remember to include him in their daily prayers, asking God to guide him. Or will them simply sling scorn?
Burke is one more weight on
Burke is one more weight on the decaying and sinking ship of the imperial Roman model of the Latin rite Church. The more right wing reactionary appointments, the faster this ship sinks and a new Church will emerge in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. Vatican I was a power grab that ultimately required Vatican II to correct. The last thirty years have seen right wing forces try to destroy the achievements of the Vatican II. It will backfire on them and they will pay for their destructive polices. The Holy Spirit will see to it.
Archbishop Burke has been
Archbishop Burke has been credited with some of the largest ordination classes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis in decades. At the same time the so called "spirit of Vatican II" parishes rarely produce even a single ordained Priest. I don't see how this fits into your small model Catholic Church, or your emerging liberal church.
I have no problem in
I have no problem in principle with orthodox bishops. The root of the term catholic in greek, καθολικος(katholikos)in the context of how the church was originally standardized between Nicea in 325 and Chalcedon 491 CE has more the connotation of standard, as in this is the standard way of Christian worship approved by the Roman Empire much as the other gods in the pantheon at the time had catholic/standard rites as well that were supposed to be used in their worship. That being said, the bishops have the right to uphold the standard and "protect the brand" as it were. The problem I'm having is how they are going about doing it. Excommunicating politicians who support legalized abortion is no good because these politicians, many of whom are privately pro life have reached this position out of respect for those who do not agree with them. This country in general operates by consensus and abortion is one issue we cannot agree. As an American, while I may not like what Archbishop Burke et. al. have to say, I will defend their right to say it with all my strength.
There is no "privately
There is no "privately pro-life." If you vote for abortion or abortion funding, you are actively supporting infant death. What you are saying is the same as a serial killer being "privately against murder" but only publicly a murderer.
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