The Booking of the Bishop

By Fr. Wilson ( articles ) | Jun 16, 2003

The Dallas Morning News story of the booking of the Bishop of Phoenix.

It's a commonplace that "Rome thinks in centuries," "We look back over two thousand years, and forward to eternity." These kind of thoughts about the Church we've always regarded as one of her great strengths, and undoubtedly this is so. But perhaps a bit of American impatience can be pardoned at the moment.

"Joe, do you think," said a veteran Pastor from the Southwest to me an hour ago, "that in light of this event someone, somewhere might just notice that we're in a bit of a crisis??"

Well, I hope so. Over the next year we have an unprecedented turnover of bishops because of retirements. I do hope that there's an extra added sense of urgency to those appointments, that it is realized that we're in a situation which requires vigorous, clear leadership; that we don't continue seeing retirements of seventy-five year old prelates put off and postponed for years. I don't mean that as an ageist slur. I mean that we urgently need new leadership.

And I hope that it is realized that the consultation pool for these appointments needs to be carefully devised, and solid, and perceptive.