Collegiality update

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Apr 26, 2003

An AP story dated December 12, 2002, from the last days of Cardinal Law's tenure as Archbishop of Boston, discussed his loss of authority and the calls for his dismissal:

"Most Catholics would be pleased to have him step down,"said Bishop Joseph Imesch of Joliet, Ill. "Unfortunately, people link what's happening in Boston to every other diocese in the country."

Another of Law's brother bishops had this to say during a conference on the image of the priest held last month:

Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk later responded to Connolly, saying, "It is my opinion that it may be unsafe to say 'the priests of the United States or the priesthood in the United States,' because I believe there are at least three different churches in the United States, each of which is Roman Catholic but each of which is Roman Catholic in its own way." In an explanation that produced a few smiles, the bishop said, "The church of the Midwest is not the church of New England -- I will let it go at that."

To rephrase an old saw: success has a thousand bishops; failure is a congregationalist.