Sunday, November 16, 2008

Say it ain't so, Papa Ratz!

At the tail end of a piece on the next round of ad limina visits to Rome by the American bishops, Whispers in the Loggia's Rocco Palmo dropped a little bombshell that almost caused me to lose my breakfast.

... the buzz has since gained further steam that the Congregation for Bishops has proposed raising the episcopal retirement age to 78. As with all things, the reported move remains under papal consideration.

As of right now Bishop Matthew Clark has 44 months before he turns 75 and must offer his resignation to the pope. Even given his history of closing parishes, of closing Catholic schools, of putting radical feminists in charge of once solid parishes and thereby driving parishioners out of their pews, of tolerating and even encouraging all sorts of liturgical abuse and of just plain failing to teach the Faith, I thought there still was a chance of DOR surviving those 3+ years somewhat intact.

I am afraid, however, that an additional 36 months of this kind of leadership is more than we will be able to bear.

This is one proposal that His Holiness needs to reject out of hand.

4 comments:

Rich Leonardi said...

Right. Under the current guidelines, there's no reason the Holy Father can't extend a bishop's term of service after he submits his resignation. Cardinal McCarrick, I believe, was kept on a few extra years.

Mike Shea said...

Rich,

That's how I see it too. Let the guys who are doing a good job stay on if they want to, but get the dead wood - and worse - out as soon as possible after they turn 75.

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Adrienne said...

.....and now - he's being sued!!