personnel is policy

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 13, 2008

Julia Duin, who covers religion for the Washington Times, has been covering the meetings of the US bishops' conference for years, and has learned how to spot trends in the bishops' thinking:

One thing reporters have learned to look for is who wins or loses yearly elections as chairman of a variety of USCCB committees.

Sound reasonable. So what do those elections show?

I have noticed, strangely, that the most outspoken bishops on the pro-life issue always lose these elections.

But wait: the bishops were talking tough about abortion this week. Doesn't that mean something?

Thus, the days are getting more desperate and bishops may need to be more outspoken than ever. But when they are, their own confreres punish them for it.