The bad part of this is that one of the bishops, Richard Williamson has gone on record saying that the Nazi’s did not use gas chambers to execute Jews during the Second World War. Now I find this totally unacceptable for anyone to hold these views, unless of course your are a Nazi, and I find find it even more unacceptable for a bishop of the church to hold these views! To his credit Cardinal Sean O’Malley was very critical of this bishops views but supports the lifting of the excommunication. I would agree with His Eminence on the importance of lifting this ban
I close friend of mine has been nominated to be the next Episcopal bishop of Long Island New York. He tells me the process that he has gone through has been like trying to get through airport security. The vetting process has been very full and complete, looking for every slip of paper that he might have written something down on to see if he would bring scandal to the Church. I would think that the RC Church would be just as careful and complete.
Okay now to move on to another new bishop in the RC Church. The other day Pope Benedict XVI elevated Rev. Gerhard Wagner to be Auxiliary Bishop of Linz, Austria. This priest has gone on record as saying that Hurricane Katrina was “Divine Retribution” for New Orleans’ tolerance of homosexuality and laid-back sexual attitudes. I am not sure what God he prays to or theologian he studies but this is way off course. He is quoted in his parish newsletter from 2005 saying that the Hurricane wiped out brothels and abortion clinics. Well Gerhard, it also took out many churches, most of them Catholic by the way, and lost of other stuff. I am sure you are one of these guys that say it is just collateral damage.
One of the things I always admired about the Catholic church was it’s process in selecting bishops. Well I think the Pope has let the side down. Most of this will go unnoticed, but we need to start paying attention to who is moving up.
Just some thoughts on this Sunday
