Father Z calls attention to recent remarks of the pope's about Bishop's conferences. Check it out.
I have to say that both the Canadian and the United States conferences of Catholic Bishops strike me as bureaucracies out of control that ought to have been reigned in decades ago. Their comments on politics and social policy, in particular, have been poorly thought out and would have been much better if they had said nothing on these issues than the nonsense they have spouted out.
I checked out that link, I'm not sure what Benedict is saying here, "to serve Bishops and not replace them?" As I see it, its about the only way the responsible Bishops can keep the rogue ones in check because Canon Law says only Rome can discipline a Bishop. It was the USCCB that produced the Dallas Charter, which had to be done to at least try to salvage some credibility for the Church in the United States, because of the actions of several Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals here, and of course the guys in Rome. While its not perfect, the Dallas Charter established uniform guidelines for dealing with reports of sexual abuse that did not exist prior, which all Bishops are supposed to follow though some have spitefully said they won't, which hasn't helped matters. If Rome had been doing its job, i.e., advocating for victims and not covering up for priests, the Dallas Charter would not have been necessary.
ReplyDeleteI think many people have issues with the USCCB speaking out on social policy, and the issues they have are different depending on which side of the aisle they sit. If they don't speak out they risk becoming even more irrelevant. If they do speak out they risk alienating those who disagree with them. Let's make a deal: in exchange for keeping their mouths shut about Immigration Reform and creating a just society, they stop trying to overturn Roe v Wade, commenting on Health Care Reform, and trying to sabotage same-sex marriage?