[ninenot]

Des, I have a couple of priest-acquaintances in Arlington. Suffice it to say that Loverde is regarded as "a Bishop", no more, no less. Little enthusiasm for the guy, but no real animosity from these men I know.

I'll make a couple of calls. While the Bish is really the Emperor of his territory and it sounds as though Fr. Haley tossed a few grenades without permission, it still smells a bit.

Back when I can on this.

[Desdemona]

While the Bish is really the Emperor of his territory and it sounds as though Fr. Haley tossed a few grenades without permission, it still smells a bit.

That's what it sounded like to me, too.

[passive1]

Bishop Loverde was previously bishop of the diocese of Ogdensburg, New York.  The seminary there, Wadhams Hall Seminary, closed in June, 2002.  The problems in that seminary were published at great length in The Wanderer last year, which received extensive documentation from a source that  had followed the horrid catechesis that flowed through the seminary for decades.  Clearly, this polluted catechesis was permitted during Bishop Loverde's tenure at Ogdensburg.  As bishop, he eliminated the altar boy restriction, permitting altar girls. Bishop Keating of Arlington defended the restriction to altar boys as important to priestly vocations since 85% of priests at one time served as such.   It is likely that he will proceed on that path too in Arlington, probably after he demolishes any dissent on genuflecting during Holy Communion.

The fact that he has taken extreme actions against the priest-whistle blower is consistent with the conduct of many U.S. bishops, who tolerate doctrinal dissent on virtually any level, but drop the sledgehammer on any orthodox priest who can't stomach the perversion of the Gospel that is tolerated by the bishop.  There are many men who have had their priestly faculties removed who would serve the Church mightily, but who are guilty of orthodoxy or disgust with the conduct in the diocese.