Very sad about Wuerl. I was a little surprised to read about Egan, not because I really thought he was a great defender of the Faith in the first place, but because he was completely upfront about the fact that the pro-abortion stance doesn't bother him in the least. I think Fr. Neuhaus is right to be upset, and I hope some of this gets to the ear of the Holy Father.
Dear livius,
Jesus told us to obey their teaching, but not to emulate their evil deeds.
They do formally teach rightly about abortion, but the deeds (or lack thereof) of Cardinals Egan and McCarrick, Archbishop Wuerl, and many, many others, in regard to this matter, are often gravely evil.
These prelates lead millions of in-the-pew Catholics into grave sin.
We should pray for their souls.
sitetest
I was in Cdl Eagan's diocese while he was bishop of Bridgeport. He had a splendid ecclesiastical presence, a deep voice, an impressive manner, which are always helpful. I read many of his weekly columns in the diocesan paper. Sometimes the paper would publish something a little on the edge, as almost all of them do, but Egan's writings were always entirely orthodox and well done.
I suspect that he and bishop Wuerl may have the same problem. They are orthodox, but they are team players, who go along to get along. That's the way to build a career.
It has some advantages to the Church, as well. A collegial bishop, who gets on well with donors and politicians is an advantage, and the money and influence go to good purposes.
But sometimes there comes a limit, when you can't go along to get along. If you've made a habit of it all your life, it can be hard to suddenly be confronted by such a challenge.
But it CAN happen. St. Thomas a Beckett was certainly such a person. He never would have risen to such eminence if he hadn't been a suave politician and a Norman grandee. St. Thomas More was another such person. There was no better, more amusing dinner companion at a royal feast.
Let's pray that these Cardinal archbishops will finally be pushed into a corner like More was, and at that point refuse to give ground any further.