The troubling rise of 'Msgr. CB'

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Nov 30, 2011

Let’s suppose that in the town where you live, a mid-level manager at the largest local corporation was arrested. Let’s say that he was caught in a neighborhood known as a homosexual enclave, suspected by police of cruising for teenage boys—and that his defense was that he had been looking for adult companions.

To spice things up, let’s say that when the police flagged down this man, rather than stopping he led them on a high-speed chase, damaging other vehicles and endangering pedestrians. Then, when finally caught, he threw a few punches at the arresting officers, and told them they’d be sorry for bothering such an important person.

Do you think that mid-level manager would be likely to remain in the employ of that local corporation? If he did keep his job, would the incident harm his chances for promotion? Five years later, would you expect to find him in charge of the division in which he had been working? Not likely.

If the Vatican Secretariat of State has less demanding standards, that is troubling.