At the beginning of a new term a priest entered the lecture hall to take class. I was flabbergasted.
On arriving back to San Clemente on the Via Labicana after the day's lectures I said to the late John O'Gorman that I had the weirdest man ever teaching me today. I went on to explain why I considered him so weird.
On arriving back to San Clemente on the Via Labicana after the day's lectures I said to the late John O'Gorman that I had the weirdest man ever teaching me today. I went on to explain why I considered him so weird.
The lecturer was Fr Donald Wuerl, now cardinal archbishop in Washington.
Donald Wuerl was rector at St Paul's Seminary in Pittsburgh from 1981 to 1985.
In 1982, he was made executive secretary to Bishop John Marshall of Burlington, Vermont, who was leading a Vatican-mandated study of US seminaries in the US.
In 1982, he was made executive secretary to Bishop John Marshall of Burlington, Vermont, who was leading a Vatican-mandated study of US seminaries in the US.
He succeeded McCarrick as archbishop in Washington.
Donald Wuerl was bishop in Pittsburg from 1988 to 2006.
Donald Wuerl was bishop in Pittsburg from 1988 to 2006.
The Grand Jury in Pennslyvania has criticised Cardinal Wuerl in its report published this week
Wuerl had major disagreements with the late Archbishop Hunthausen in Seattle. In May 1986, they found themselves with opposing positions on proposed state legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment.
In these extraordinary days how could any clergyman say a word in public about the family?
In these extraordinary days how could any clergyman say a word in public about the family?
6 comments:
I would love to know what it was that made you feel that way. Secondly Francis has no option but to remove him; not allow him to resign but remove him. It seems that bishops only get removed if they over spend money: but kids being raped who cares. I personally do not think Francis is a good pope.
Wuerl has now pulled out of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next weekend following Cardinal O'Malley. One gets the impression that they are afraid to answer the real questions they would be asked. This looks like blatant cowardice, a fundamental unwillingness to face consequences and take responsibility for the cover-ups which happened on their watch and quite possibly with their knowledge and connivance, maybe even on their initiative. The Church leadership has lost all credibility when it comes to speaking on any issues related to sexuality and relationships. Which, of course, are key themes to the whole concept of "family". I'm coming to the conclusion that the whole thing next weekend should be cancelled. Why on earth should anyone listen to what senior church figures - and I'm afraid that includes the pope - have to say on the subject?
I see Wuerl has cancelled his appearance at the world meeting of families.
CORRECTED TEXT:
I think the whole idea of the World Meeting of Families is odd. The meeting has a very definite (time-warped) definition of family as evidenced by the removal of anything that might reference same sex families in its literature. As Pope Francis has reminded us, Christ saved us as a people, not as individuals —and by extension, not as families either.
As to Wuerl, he came to the episcopate in an effort to make Raymond Hunthausen toe the Roman line. The fact that he was willing to engage in that ill-advised, contemptible, and underhand process says a lot about him.
Perhaps the whole of the US episcopal conference should offer their resignations to the Pope as an act of humility. The lavish wealth of some in retirement — Myers, for example—needs to be looked at as well.
Patsy McGarry made the suggestion in the Irish Times today that the pope should take Diarmuid Martin back to Rome with him and put him in charge of a robust agency to investigate and discipline bishops and religious superiors in any way complicit in, or responsible for, protection, obfuscation or cover-ups of abusers. Not such a bad idea ...
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