LOOKING FOR LEADERS PHILIP F. LAWLER, Editor The Catholic World Report (Feb
2003)
The faithful
do have a voice in the selection of bishops----if they choose to use it.
The clerical
scandals of the past year have forced Catholic Americans to take a critical
Look at how
their bishops are performing---not as social leaders or political
representatives,
nor as
fundraisers and administrators, but as leaders of their diocesan flocks. In ordinary
times the sheep
do not question the decisions of the shepherd. But these are not ordinary
times, and
(as we are incessantly reminded) American Catholics are not sheep.
Many loyal
Catholics find themselves unhappily wondering, for the first time in their
lives,
whether
their bishops still deserve their trust.
Many others have observed that the current leaders of American
Catholicism appear to be either unwilling or unable to take the decisive
action that
is necessary to resolve the current crisis. Catholics of different perspectives,
“liberal”
or conservative,” might have very different ideas as to what actions the
bishops
should
take. But we can agree that some
action should be taken, and the bishops are not
taking it!
The problems
of leadership that have been exposed by the sex-abuse epidemic will not be
solved by minor changes in the workings of American dioceses. It is ludicrous to suggest
as one
prominent prelate has suggested, that the molestation of children was allowed
pri-
marily
because of poor record-keeping in chancery offices. But is it any more logical to
claim that
the problem could have been avoided if the bishops had added another layer of
bureaucracy to their diocesan operations, with new review boards or advisory commissions?
The
challenge for the Church—in America as everywhere else, today as at every time—is to
proclaim, to live, and to spread the message of the Gospel. What our Church needs, as our
friend and
colleague Father Richard John Neuhaus succinctly put it, is “Fidelity,
Fidelity,
Fidelity.” Fidelity is not caused or created by
administrative procedures.
What we need
today is a new generation of leadership of the Church in America. And as it
happens, through the workings of divine Providence, a new generation is coming.
CHANGES ARE COMING
The crisis
has already produced a series of resignations among the American Bishops. In
all
likelihood more such resignations will be forthcoming. Yet even if there are no more
Bishops
forced to leave office prematurely, we can confidently expect a dramatic change
in
the
composition of the American hierarchy during the next few years.
Today,
as I write, three U.S. sees are vacant.
Eight
more are being led by bishops who have already passed the retirement age of
75.
(Two
major archdioceses are included on that list.
Boston’s
Cardinal Bernard Law has stepped down.
Philadelphia’s
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua will celebrate his 80th birthday in
June).
Eight more
diocesan bishops will submit their resignations this year.
Another
l5 resignations by the end of 2005.
So even
if there are no new vacancies caused by death, disease, or scandal, the Vatican
will need to select 34 new diocesan leaders over the course of the next three
years.
How will the
new bishops be chosen? That
process, too, might change a great deal. As older bishops retire, their influence wanes, and
the “old boy” network begins to break down. For years Vatican officials have shown
a strong inclination to accept the recommendations of the incumbent American
bishops. But now, as the failures
of the American Hierarchy become manifest, Rome may be ready to explore new possibilities.
Already
there are signs that the Vatican
is ready to appoint bold, energetic, and orthodox young bishops in the
English-speaking world.
The recent
nomination of two new auxiliary Bishops for the Westminster archdiocese drew shouts of delight from orthodox Catholics around London. In the U.S., the appointment of Bishop Allen
Vigneron, a Detroit Auxiliary, as Coadjutor Bishop of Oakland deserves mention
as a particularly positive sign, as well as a boon for the long-suffering
Catholics of Oakland.
How will Vatican officials know which young American priests deserve consideration for Episcopal appointments? WE WILL TELL THEM! We urge readers to write to the Vatican----short, positive letters are best----with the names of priests whose VIRTUE, TALENT, AND FIDELITY make them likely candidates for diocesan leadership.
Suggestions can be sent to: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re
Congregation for Bishops
Piazza Pio Xll
00l93 Roma, Italy
PHILIP F.
LAWLER, Editor of The Catholic World Report (February/2003)
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