Retributions in Boston?

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | May 26, 2004

One astute CWN reader has noticed that among the 60 Boston parishes scheduled for closing, 10 were run by pastors who signed a public call for Cardinal Law's resignation. The same observer says that the archdiocese will also be closing 20 "pink" rectories. (His comments, among others, appear in the "Sound Off" responses to the CWN news coverage.)

Spokesmen for the archdiocese insist that there was no effort to punish dissident priests by closing their parishes. And since the most outspoken dissidents were untouched by the closings, let's assume that's true.

Why, then, would a disproportionate number of dissident priests be heading marginal parishes? Could this be evidence that the archdiocese knew all along that these priests weren't exactly the best and the brightest, and had assigned them to smaller, inactive parishes, where they would do the least damage?

One petulant cleric had been quoted as threatening to "resign" from the priesthood if his parish was slated for closing-- which it was. If that's really what he thinks of the priesthood-- that it's an office from which someone can "resign"-- we won't miss him.