Posted on 09/25/2014 8:23:58 PM PDT by marshmallow
— Pope Francis on Thursday forcibly removed a conservative Paraguayan bishop who had clashed with his fellow bishops on ideological grounds and promoted a priest accused of inappropriate sexual behavior.
The removal of Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, a member of the conservative Opus Dei movement, marks the second time Francis has kicked out a conservative bishop for the sake of keeping peace among the faithful and unity among bishops.
In March, he ousted the "bling bishop" of Limburg, Germany, whose 31-million-euro ($43-million) new residence complex caused an uproar among the faithful.
Livieres was named bishop of Paraguay's second city, Ciudad del Este, in 2004 and immediately disturbed other more progressive Paraguayan bishops by opening his own seminary that followed a much more orthodox line than the main seminary in the capital, Asuncion. Paraguay's bishops are known for their progressive bent in a poor country where liberation theology found fertile ground.
Relations between Livieres and the rest of Paraguay's bishops worsened when he got into a public spat with the then-archbishop of Asuncion, whom he accused of being gay.
Livieres also infuriated advocates for victims of sexual abuse by taking in and promoting an Argentine priest, the Rev. Carlos Urrutigoity, whose former superior in the U.S. had said was a "serious threat to young people."
Urrutigoity has denied allegations of sexual impropriety, has never been charged and hasn't been accused of sexually abusing minors. In 2004, though, the diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, settled a lawsuit against him, another priest and the diocese for $400,000. The suit had alleged the two men engaged in a pattern of sexual misconduct, the Global Post has reported
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
In what sense is a bishop who spends this amount on his personal residence "conservative?"
When is the Pope responsible and when is he not responsible for the actions of a diocese? When lawyers and money are involved....
....One of the most important parts of that defense is to help people understand that the Church is not a monolith. It is composed of different entities that operate with relative autonomy and make their own decisions about the hiring and firing of personnel. Thus, just because a priest is a member of a religious order, it does not make him an employee of the Holy See.
-- from the thread Defending the Holy See [Vatican Lawyer Discusses the Supreme Court’s Decline of Abuse Appeal]“Mythology about the Catholic Church to the contrary, the Holy See is not responsible for the supervision of the more than 400,000 priests around the world,” he said. “Attorneys in this case knew that, and their knowledge of this fact is precisely what made the filing of this lawsuit so pernicious in the first place -- such misuse of the legal process leads to disrespect for lawyers and courts, and never helps the pursuit of legitimate legal claims.”
-- from the thread Wisconsin Court Case Dismissal "Enormously Important"
In journalese, that IS “conservative.”
I notice Dolan is still in place, despite agreeing to be Grand Marshal of a Gay Pride Parade.
“...vocations and baptisms rocketing up...”
Can’t have that!
This report heavy on the phobics was contrived by a Nichole Winfield originated in US News and was carried by the AP and winds up world wide.
You guys for years have been telling us that a pope can not remove a bishop from his position...That has been your excuse for having so many pro queer and pro abortion bishops in you religion...
Guess we all know better now...
You would do well to read some of the non-liberal discussions of the so-called “bling bishop” and his episcopal palace.
Aside from that fact that the vast majority of the expenses relating to the project are attributable to ancillary offices and other diocesan-related teaching facilities, traditional Catholic publications have pointed out that it was actually his extremely liberal predecessor that started the project and was the one who had selected and ordered all of the ornate finishes to the episcopal living quarters. At no time was this earlier bishop ever criticized for the project.
But what was certainly true was that Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst unwisely did not move to reject the earlier fancy and expensive selections, such as the gold-plated bathroom faucets, for example. As a result, the later bishop was falsely accused of being the bishop who initiated the renovations. In addition, he also flew to Rome on a first-class ticket during the period of time when Pope Francis was living in his Volkswagen (or wherever) as a sign that he is “for the poor”. Needless to say, all of this was red meat for the liberal press.
But the important point that should be realized is that this is a German bishop who, unlike the vast majority of the other bishops in his conference, is a strong conservative. He has openly condemned homosexuality and the liberalization of receiving Holy Communion by divorced and remarried Catholics who have not been granted an annulment. His predecessor, Bishop Franz Kamphaus, was removed by Pope John Paul II for counseling women on abortion against Catholic teachings. He has also openly advocated that it was up to the individual to decide when and if the use of a condom is appropriate. His fellow German bishops and the press loved him. That is really the reason why Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was being criticized and not for his spending habits.
“You guys for years have been telling us that a pope can not remove a bishop from his position...”
I don’t think anyone here ever said that. We have said a pope won’t do it on a whim. If this bishop’s actions were upsetting the entire hierarchy of Paraguay, then a pope might feel forced to remove him. And he did so. Popes only remove bishops for grave reasons and I know of no Catholic here who has said that the pope “can not remove a bishop”.
I know nothing about this case, and am really just not that interested.
Just thought it was interesting that somebody would claim that an ultraluxurious bishop’s palace was somehow “conservative.”
Sounds like something out of the Renaissance and the time of the Borgias.
“...The Vatican justified the resignation for “pastoral reasons” and the “unity of the bishops.” Specific allegations against the bishop dismissed were not disclosed. The Bishop sees himself as a victim of an intrigue of the Paraguayan Bishops. Pope Francis arranged for an Apostolic Visitation in Livieres’ diocese after he publicly accused the Archbishop of Asuncion of homosexuality and demanded his removal from office....”
http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2014/09/bishop-livieres-pope-francis-will-have.html
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