Now in my case, I've gotten pretty good at skipping over the articles in the paper about the Church. But this morning, I couldn't help reading about the new archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput (above).
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been particularly troubled in recent years and, like the rest of the Catholic Church, is in dire need of reform. So to whom did the Vatican turn to bring about change?
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput spent the last 14 years in Denver establishing himself as one of the nation’s most prominent advocates of a politically engaged and conservative Catholicism.
He is among a minority of Roman Catholic bishops who have spoken in favor of denying communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. He helped defeat legislation that would have legalized civil unions for gay couples in Colorado. And he condemned the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution, for granting President Obama an honorary degree in 2009 because of his stance on abortion.
For these and other decisions stands, Archbishop Chaput has been hailed as a champion by not only Catholic conservatives, but also by evangelical Protestants.
That's right -- they doubled down. Apparently, the problem with Chaput's predecessor is that he wasn't conservative enough. But wait, there's more:
Advocates for sexual abuse victims bristle at the characterization of Archbishop Chaput as a reformer. They point out that he fought hard against legislation in Colorado that would have extended the statute of limitations for people who say they were sexually abused to sue the church.
Finally, according to Tom Reynolds, of Regis University, a Jesuit institution in Denver:
“He hasn’t always gotten along well with the folks who are on the liberal end, who want to move forward with Vatican II reforms,” referring to the Second Vatican Council.
Vatican II? That was in 1965! That represents the liberal end?
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