Bishop Wuerl: Bishops Should Consult One Another Before Speaking On National Issues Like Kerry And Communion

(Hat tip: Catholic World News)

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Concerned about open divisiveness, Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh has proposed that his fellow U.S. Catholic bishops consult one another before speaking out on divisive national issues -- particularly whether prominent Catholic politicians who support legal abortion should be denied communion.

Though couched in polite, theological language, Wuerl's proposal is an attempt to muffle loose cannons in the hierarchy. The proposal appeared in the Pittsburgh Catholic and was carried nationally through Catholic News Service.

"The issue of a national politician's reception of Holy Communion and public stance on moral issues is a concern that affects not just the local church wherein the politician lives, but also considerably affects the church throughout the nation, as was evidenced in last year's election and the controversy surrounding Sen. John Kerry," Wuerl wrote.

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
"Muffle loose cannons in the hierarchy"? Are these Bishop Wuerl's words, or do they belong to the author of this piece?

Is "loose cannon" the new code phrase for "orthodox bishops doing the job the successors to the apostles are supposed to be doing"? Does "loose cannon" apply only to bishops like Archbishop Burke who seek to uphold the Church's teachings, or is it equally applicable to the likes of Cardinal Mahony?

Maybe Bishop Wuerl needs to stop worrying about the "loose cannons" and start worrying about how loosely the bishops follow this canon:



Courtesy of Zach Brissett at In Toon With The World. I've been using quite a bit of his work lately on this blog. Thanks to Zach for his willingness to make his fine cartoons available to other bloggers.

UPDATE:
(ht: Amy Welborn)

Bishop Wuerl in his own words, writing in the Pittsburgh Catholic. I note that he doesn't use the words "loose cannon", but I still wonder whether those words were used in "speaking on background" to the author of the piece linked above.

At any rate, Bishop Wuerl's piece is quite lengthy and full of "bishop-speak" of the AmChurch variety, so feel free to just substitute "Blah-blah-blah". To read what a bishop should be saying, go back and read this post on Bishop Olmstead of Phoenix.

UPDATE # 2:
(also posted in Comments at Unam Sanctum)

Don't forget that the Kerrys have a home in Pittsburgh (actually, it's Tah-ray-zah's primary residence).

So, Wuerl may have an ulterior motive here to protect himself against having to make the decision regarding Communion on his own - especially if Kerry decides to seek the presidency again.