works without faith

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Oct 19, 2005

An October 16 editorial in the Chicago Tribune said that "certifiably negligent bishops should be losing their jobs."

No argument there.

But the Tribune doubts that any episcopal heads will roll, because:

The evident goal of U.S. bishops is to ride out the corrosive crisis that has all but destroyed their stature on issues of education, health and social justice--and tarnished untold thousands of innocent priests.

No doubt thousands of readers, including many good Catholics, read those words and nodded. And to be sure, the Trib's analysis of the US bishops' motivations seems right on target. Still it's telling that the editors see the damaging consequences exclusively in terms of public policy and priestly morale.

The Trib doesn't even think to mention the bishops' stature as teachers of the holy Catholic faith.