Well, this sure surprises me, since he was one of the main supporters of the death of Terri Schiavo. He even forbade priests from his diocese to give her Communion or get involved in any way in her case.
He’s also known as “Bishop Speedo” for certain other indiscretions, as well as some legal settlements his prior diocese had to make on his behalf.
But you never know. Maybe God hit him upside the head after the Schivo affair.
I remember reading once about martyrs, incidentally, that you never knew who they would be: the person who defended orthodoxy and looked like he would be firm through thick and thin would collapse and vanish immediately, while the person of whom nobody expected anything would go to the guillotine.
The sudden change/irony was not lost on me. Perhaps he has changed for the better; after all, we (as Catholics) like to believe that EVERYONE is capable of earning a full day’s wage in the field, even if it’s late in the day (Matthew 20:1–16). Thank God for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
As was noted, many are praying for him.
But he said the church is at a "moment of history" in which it must take a stand for "religious liberty and individual moral conscience."
I'm really stunned. I can't begin to say how much it shocks me to know his history and to hear him utter these gems, as if earlier moments in history weren't clear enough which side he should have taken a stand on. Is he just another hypocrite, or has his heart of stone truly been changed? It will take more than a few words from him for me to be convinced.
Prayers for us all!