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Category Archives: bishops
Membership Privileges Revoked
While no one objects that a bishop has the power to excommunicate, or even in some cases put a parish or community under interdict, the question a lot of people are asking is this: is it a prudent move? I … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News, Politics
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What Should The Pope Emeritus Do?
It’s been a few days since an unsurprising negative report published on mishandling abusers in Germany’s München archdiocese. That a diocese would uncover priests behaving badly? This happens. That the usual methodologies would surface: secrecy, reassignment, lather, rinse, repeat? Also … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Church News, sex abuse
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Different Headlines
Waking up this morning, I noticed a difference in the lead phrases reporting on the Munich archdiocese’s report on sex abuse and its cover-up 1945-2019. In secular media, headlines zeroed in on a period in the middle of those years, … Continue reading
On A Baptism Acclamation
I have heard through the liturgical grapevine that when “Alleluia” was suggested as an acclamation at the Rite of Baptism, the US bishops demurred. “Inappropriate,” came the word. I don’t know how deeply the word will spread. Many parishes do … Continue reading
Posted in bishops, Liturgy, Rite of Baptism
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Ungovernability
John Allen’s analysis here on PF stamping approval on the Paris archbishop’s resignation. A core bit: Indeed, if you take Francis’s words at face value, it almost seems to imply a sort of “heckler’s veto” on a bishop: If a … Continue reading
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Beatitudes for Bishops VII
The last of the Beatitudes for Bishops: Blessed is the bishop who is not afraid to go against the tide for the sake of the Gospel, making his face “stern” like that of Christ on his way to Jerusalem, without … Continue reading
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Beatitudes for Bishops VI
Archbishop Domenico Battaglia’s Beatitudes for Bishops were adopted by the Holy Father, who shared them last month in a homily at an episcopal ordination. The original text is here, in Italian. I think they have applications outside of the office … Continue reading
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Catholics In Exodus
I had avoided commenting on Archbishop Gomez’s speech from earlier this month. I find the talks and comments of bishops not my own to be far less interesting these days. But this chat got a lot of attention, even here … Continue reading
Beatitudes for Bishops V
The Beatitudes for Bishops’ original text is here, in Italian. Pope Francis seems to approve, making it a handout at a recent meeting of Italy’s national episcopal conference. Blessed is the bishop who banishes duplicity of heart, who avoids every … Continue reading
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Beatitudes for Bishops IV
Blessed is the bishop who has a heart for the misery of the world, who is not afraid to dirty his hands with the mud of the human soul in order to find God’s gold, who is not scandalized by … Continue reading
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Beatitudes for Bishops III
Bishop Beatitudes number 3: “Blessed is the bishop who does not shut himself up in the palaces of governance, who does not become a bureaucrat who is more attentive to statistics than to faces, to procedures than to stories, who … Continue reading
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Beatitudes for Bishops II
Beatitudes for Bishops by Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples, passed along by Pope Francis. The original text is here, in Italian. I think they’re not just for bishops. Lots of church people lean to power over service. You don’t have … Continue reading
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Beatitudes for Bishops I
Beatitudes for Bishops are making the rounds in Catholic social media and some Catholic press outlets. These were composed by Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia, who delivered them last month in a homily at an episcopal ordination. The original text is … Continue reading
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That USCCB Document
You can find the 10,000-word document here. The only names named are saints and popes. The text is heavily footnoted, and after a quick scan I think some Catholics will be disappointed. The tone is largely positive, and the mention … Continue reading
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Catholic Sensibility 
Bishops Meet This Week
I see it’s all over Catholic news that the US bishops are meeting in Baltimore this week. That document–some document–on the Eucharist is due. Long gone are the days when the USCCB produced documents that mattered. Peace. The Economy. They … Continue reading →