[dangus]

I'm not so convinced that it's simply about power. The Catholic Church dreads schism more than anything else in the world. (The reason they've been so tough on SSPX is precisely because they know that SSPX doesn't *want* to go schismatic!) The US Catholic Church was dangerously close to informal schism during Bernadin's reign. Although that situation has improved, the sex-abuse scandals keep the overall picture very difficult. The tough thing is that so many church-going American Catholics are so deeply heretical, that informal schism is easy.

Whether or not I agree with the choices Rome is making, I believe that they are preferring heresy to schism. Heresy can be corrected; history has proven that once a schism forms, the schismatics go further and further into anti-Catholic doctrine. (case in point: Luther was *much* more Catholic than 99.9993% of Lutherans.)

Americans think in terms of election cycles; Rome thinks in terms of millennia.

Your frustration is understandable, and your dissent from the choice Rome appears to be making is reasonable, even possibly correct. I encurage you to get active in righting the situation you perceive to be wrong. Correct evil actions, but please refrain from ascribing evil motives to Church officials.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Please tell me more about Cardinal Bernadin. I am at a Catholic Center (at a university, guess which one), that looks at Bernadin kindly, because he really supported the Center. I know he was theologically liberal, but how liberal? Info and links would help. God Bless

P.S. Nothing accusatorial, I've heard some of the rumors, and since he is no longer alive to defend himself as the the veracity of it, I would prefer evidence of cold hard stated facts on matter of Church Theology (I am not minimizing the accusations, I guess I am just inclined to leave the Dead in peace).