I read a post on Stephen Bainbridge’s site about Cardinal Mahoney and a report by the LA Times.
This article is about how Cardinal Mahoney should resign because, according to an LA Times article, Cardinal Mahoney had allegedly said two different things in regards to an abuse case. As one of the commenters pointed out, the issue may not be as straightforward as reported.
This is only one example of the priest/bishop bashing that goes on in the allegedly Catholic Blogosphere. Now in terms of how we see the Church, Cardinal Mahoney is nowhere near where I stand on a lot of issues. There are many things Cardinal Mahoney has done that I am not pleased with - handling of the abuse cases, closing the minor and college seminaries, a reduction in support for Catholic education, tolerance of liturgical abuses, the albatross of a Cathedral we are stuck with, and the list can go on. I do miss Cardinal Manning who was the previous shepherd for the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
All of that is insufficient for public displays of division. Publicly calling for the resignation of a bishop smacks of protestantism. We do not hire and fire our pastors - they are appointed to us. In the end, Cardinal Mahoney is the properly appointed head of the Church in Los Angeles. I do wish some of his fellow Cardinals would correct him as a brother, but it is not the place of the laity or even priests to publicly call for the ouster of a Cardinal of the Church.
I am a relatively new Knight of Columbus , but one of the things that I like about the Knights is our loyalty to the Pope, our priests and the hierarchy of the Church. In fact, I have a button right next to my computer screen that says “In Solidarity With Our Priests.” I agree wholeheartedly, EVEN WHEN IT IS HARD (especially when it is hard). I wish more of those who see themselves as faithful would hold their tongues in public instead of joining the mainstream media in publicly attacking our Church.
