Bishop Peter A. Libasci
Posted on 09/19/2011 2:04:21 PM PDT by NYer
.- Catholics in New Hampshire received a new bishop from Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19. Auxiliary Bishop Peter A. Libasci of Rockville Centre, N.Y. will serve as the 10th bishop of Manchester, N.H.
“I am grateful to Almighty God who has brought me into being, to my parents who gave me life and to my family, friends and my Holy Catholic Church – all of who have sustained me to this very hour,” said Bishop Libasci.
“These include Bishop William Murphy, my diocesan bishop in Rockville Centre, my brother priests and deacons and all the lay faithful I was privileged to serve as priest and bishop in that Diocese since my priestly ordination in 1978.”
Bishop Murphy also had words of praise for Bishop Libasci.
“As priest, as pastor and as bishop, Bishop Libasci brought a deep sense of the holy to all the many pastoral efforts that have marked his tenure in this Diocese which will always be his home,” he stated.
“His brother bishops here as well as his brother priests of this Diocese are one in sending him our prayers and our congratulations, asking God, through the intercession of our Lady, to watch over him, bless and guide him in his new pastoral role as Bishop of Manchester and assuring him of our fraternal support in the years to come.”
At the same time that he named Bishop Libasci as the new bishop, the Pope also accepted the resignation of the current bishop of the Diocese of Manchester, Bishop John B. McCormack, who reached the age of retirement.
The appointment and resignation were announced on Sept. 19.
Bishop McCormack has been the bishop of Manchester since 1998. He was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston in 1960 and was named auxiliary bishop of Boston in 1995.
Peter Anthony Libasci was born November 9, 1951, in Queens, N.Y. He attended seminary at Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 1978.
He worked as parochial vicar, administrator and pastor in several parishes before being ordained as an auxiliary bishop for the diocese in 2007. Since then, he has served as the Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Vicariate of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
Bishop Libasci is bi-ritual, celebrating the Liturgy in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church.
Bishop Libasci will be entering a diocese with a population of 1.3 million. The Diocese of Manchester includes the entire state of New Hampshire and is home to approximately 300,000 Catholics, including 269 priests.
He will be installed as Bishop of Manchester at Saint Joseph Cathedral on Dec. 8, 2011.
Congratulations to our New Hampshire catholics!
I guess the new and improved "Pope" wants to continue to sweep all the child molestation allegation leavings here in New Hampshire under the rug, like his predecessor did with "Cardinal" Bernard Law in Massachusetts. Hey, maybe the new "Pope" will also give McCormick a cushy new job and digs in Rome like "Pope" John Paul (Pedophile priests raping little boys in Massachusetts and New Hampshire? Nothing to see here; move along, move along") did with "Cardinal Bernard Law when he wanted to protect him from all those nasty child-molestation allegation charges and, prying eyes.
It is hard to indict Law when the old and "new" "Pope" of Rome have, and CONTINUE to protect and SHIELD "Cardinal" LAW from allegations, extradition and possible indictment. Isn't it interesting how Law hasn't set foot in America once since he was whisked away to Rome by the "Pope"? I guess he doesn't want to end up in jail.
Hey New Hampshire; meet the new Bishop... same as the old Bishop (how do I know this? Because the "new" bishop has not spoken out once against "Cardinal Law" or "Bishop " McCormack). As for that old "Bishop" McCormack and all those nasty allegations that he aided and abetted "cardinal" Bernard Law in protecting all those pedophile priests over all those years: "Nothing to see here; move along, move along."
Pope Benedict is putting conservative bishops in postions. Hang around and watch to see which one of us proves to be correct.
Are you bitter about something. Your prose seems to indicate that. Suppositions don’t hold up with God, so let’s wait and see, OK?
The fact is that, regrettably as it may seem to many, criminal charges have never been ledged against Law, and nobody has requested his extradition. If you've got actionable facts that the prosecutors don't have, why don't you forward it to the prosecutors and make sure charges are pursued? I, for one, am all for the criminal indictiment of anyone, laity or clergy, againt whom there is credible evidence and probable cause.
For the record, I personally am deeply ashamed of Law and think he was guilty of monumentally, jaw-droppingly bad judgment. to say the least. His long record of unctuous tolerance, patronage, even enabling of grave offenders makes him in my view, manifestly unfit to serve as a diocesan bishop. Maybe that's why they kicked him upstairs to St. Maria Maggiore, where he has no Diocese, can't make a move without everybody knowing all about it, has no staff of diocesan priests to manage, and the biggest thing he has to "run" on his own sole authority is the Basilica Gift Shop.
No, I do not think this is satisfactory, but he's essentialy blocked from any opportunity to play "Lo Zio" for errant clergy.
However, there are plenty of people in Massachusetts who have the political and prosecutorial powers to drop the dime on Bernard Law, and many of them are bitter longtime opponents of his for many reasons, and yet they haaven't done it. I presume it's because they can't prove mens rea
However, against Libasci there is no allegation of wrongdoing.
Therefore I would suggest you lay off the innocent (Libasci), and go after the guilty --- even if you have to go to Rome to do it.
For the record, I personally am deeply ashamed of Law and think he was guilty of monumentally, jaw-droppingly bad judgment. to say the least. His long record of unctuous tolerance, patronage, even enabling of grave offenders makes him in my view, manifestly unfit to serve as a diocesan bishop. Maybe that's why they kicked him upstairs to St. Maria Maggiore, where he has no Diocese, can't make a move without everybody knowing all about it, has no staff of diocesan priests to manage, and the biggest thing he has to "run" on his own sole authority is the Basilica Gift Shop.
No, I do not think this is satisfactory, but he's essentialy blocked from any opportunity to play "Lo Zio" for errant clergy.
However, there are plenty of people in Massachusetts who have the political and prosecutorial powers to drop the dime on Bernard Law, and many of them are bitter longtime opponents of his for many reasons, and yet they haaven't done it. I presume it's because they can't prove mens rea
However, against Libasci there is no allegation of wrongdoing.
Therefore I would suggest you lay off the innocent (Libasci), and go after the guilty --- even if you have to go to Rome to do it.
I know nothing of him, but this is a good sign.
Hopefully, one of those faculties will be for Byzantine ritual. It's wonderful to hear about priests with faculties for more than one rite.
Cardinal Law committed no crimes. The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of MA announced this at the time of his findings in the matter, so Law has no fear about going to jail. Of course, the AG stated that he wished he could have found something for which to try the Cardinal, but there was nothing.
Cardinal Law didn't 'run off to Rome' after the abuse scandal broke. He remained in Boston until all of the legal work dealing with him was complete. He then went to Maryland, where he stayed for almost a year. It was only then that he went to Rome where he is working at the Basilica, of which he'd been named 'Pastor' many years before.
There is nothing underhanded about Cardinal Law's being in Rome. Neither Pope John Paul II NOR Pope Benedict 'shielded' Cardinal Law from anything, because he didn't break any laws. He was no stranger to the issue, and in the past had not shielded priests. In fact, when he was the assistant to Bishop Brunini in Mississippi, he was the one who worked hard to remove an abusive priest from parish work, then the priesthood.
You can dislike Cardinal Law all you want, but please get your facts straight.
Congrats to new bishop.
Knowing two rituals is like knowing two languages.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.