so how bad is the "scandal"?

So bad it has made Bishop Barron believe there might be a devil.

lots of smoke and mirrors out there pushing sociological/psychological memes.

lots of commentators—left, center, and right—have chimed in to say that the real cause of the McCarrick disaster is, take your pick, the ignoring of Humanae vitae, priestly celibacy, rampant homosexuality in the Church, the mistreatment of homosexuals, the sexual revolution, etc. Mind you, I’m not saying for a moment that these aren’t important considerations and that some of the suggestions might not have real merit.

but haven't the bishops been there before?

But I amsaying that launching into a consideration of these matters that we have been debating for decades and that will certainly not admit of an easy adjudication amounts right now to a distraction.

So what should be done? The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has no juridical or canonical authority to discipline bishops. And even if it tried to launch an investigation, it has, at the moment, very little credibility. Only the Pope has juridical and disciplinary powers in regard to bishops. Hence, I would suggest (as a lowly back-bencher auxiliary) that the bishops of the United States—all of us—petition the Holy Father to form a team, made up mostly of faithful lay Catholics skilled in forensic investigation, and to empower them to have access to all of the relevant documentation and financial records. 

Yeah. That'll do it. Ask the "who am I to judge" Pope to check out what's going on and kick tushes.


but of course, he will only point fingers to the sociological and psychological data to explain the problem, and etend the hand of mercy, when the real problem is chosing evil and getting away with it because you aren't supposed to point fingers.

hey, Jesus said don't judge, right? Just ignore that part about the millstone....

Philip Lawler, however, is sceptical: who would chose the laypeople? who could guarantee them access to the evidence? And who would give them the power to remove/correct etc?

after all, no one noticed these things for years, so why should one trust them now?

But Eccles is saved blog is on a roll:

God admits "I knew what McCarrick was up to"

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His latest installment:-


 Saturday, 11 August 2018

  Fr Rosica interviews Cardinal Wuerl

shifty-looking man (possibly Bill Clinton, possibly Cardinal Wuerl): Thank you, Fr Rosica, it's good to be back here, and I really appreciate the great work you do, Your Salt and Light empire is surely the saltiest and lightest media empire the world has ever seen, and you're looking great yourself too!... your work, day in, day out, insulting Catholics, is very valuable, and much appreciated by the USCCB...

We love you too, Cardinal, and we think the American bishops are doing a fine job! You haven't had a cardinal dragged off to prison for at least three days now! That shows that you're giving a great message of hope to all of us. Tell us more about the ground-breaking initiatives you are proposing.

 Wuerl: Why, you do ask some tough questions, Rosie! Yes, we are planning a brilliant new scheme whereby we get the bishops to be judged by an external and impartial group of, er, other bishops. Or perhaps by themselves. What can possibly go wrong?