What I Told the Bishops Thoughts on the crisis in the American Catholic Church. By Peggy Noonan

at: http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004016

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), September 15, 2003

Answers

I'm happy that was published in a journal with such a wide readership. God bless Peggy Noonan.

-- Skoobouy (skoobouy@hotmail.com), September 15, 2003.

Thanks for the link Bill.

It was informative.

The continued crisis and crisis management points only one way:

The American Church needs, must have, a plenary council. This is the most important and least discussed item on the agenda.

God bless,

-- john placette (jplacette@catholic.org), September 16, 2003.

What would a plenary council accomplish, in your view?

In Christ, Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), September 16, 2003.

I feel a 'US' plenary council would be too little too late and just more of the same by the same... -The same unaccountable USCCB -- The US Bishops are either not motivated to, not capable of OR really see no need to clean up thier own house... No, I envision Rome stepping up to the plate soon -- as the Holy Father said: "this time of trial will bring, a purification, a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate, a holier Church" (Discourse of 23 April 2002). Rome will do the 'bringing' and the US will recieve what is brought...

-just my opinion...

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), September 16, 2003.

My PERSONAL opinion is that the cleaning up of the U.S. Church will have to wait for the next Pope. JPII, while a very good man, is currently pretty old to undertake a task like that. Christ has told us the church will prevail, with this assurance, we can resist its abuse until its correction.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), September 16, 2003.

Frank,

Good point Frank. It's a shame the American bishops can't completely clean up the mess themselves. But I am afraid JP II has done all he is capable of for now. God Bless him.

-- Glenn (glenn@nospam.com), September 16, 2003.

What you say about these maverick bishops is true, however you avoid one important thing; This pope appointed the majority of them. At the very least he made the same mistakes over and over again. At the very most, this is just what he wanted.

-- Terry (abc@304.com), September 16, 2003.

Terry,
You are mistaken -- or at least too harsh. You are probably not aware of this, but most of the "bad eggs" of the last 40 years were either appointed by Bl. Pope John XXIII, by Pope Paul VI (at the recommendation of his French papal legate to the U.S.), or by the current pope in the first few years of his reign (apparently before he realized that he was being given bad options to choose from).

In his last 20 years, though, he has far less often chosen a man who has proved to be unworthy of the episcopacy. I think that the "vetting" is much, much tougher now. Remember, too, that decent men can go bad AFTER being appointed -- as did one of the twelve original bishops, eh?

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 16, 2003.