what might have been
By Diogenes ( articles ) | Aug 03, 2010
For years it’s been a simple decision for Catholic-bashers in the broadcast media. You want someone who will appear on TV wearing a Roman collar and say nasty things about the Pope? Father Richard McBrien is your go-to guy.
“Jadot bishops,” for the benefit of those too young to recall the era, are those American prelates who were appointed during the 1970s, when the late Archbishop Jean Jadot was apostolic delegate to the US. The Jadot bishops were overwhelmingly liberal, and the American Church is still reeling under their influence.
But from McBrien’s perspective, that influence should have been much greater. He lists the auxiliary bishops appointed in the 1970s who are now deceased, retired, or at least barred by advancing age from further advancement: Rosazza of Hartford, Murphy of Baltimore, Gumbleton and Schoenherr of Detroit, Morneau of Green Bay, Wirz of Madison, Sklba of Milwaukee, Wcela of Rockville.
It’s sobering to think that these bishops—all friends of dissenters, all ready to question the Catholic tradition—might have been promoted to head their own dioceses. On the other hand, it’s a relief to recognize they weren’t, and they won’t be. Now as the sun sets on the Jadot era—and the day approaches when Richard McBrien is no longer churning out his anti-Roman propaganda—we can all think of what might have been.
And if that’s the best that McBrien can do today—to think of what might have been—the future looks brighter every minute.
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