I’ve read and re-read Pope John-Paul II’s statement on the crisis in the Western Catholic Church. None of it is wrong; some of it reflects his obvious holiness; but it is clearly deeply worrying. He doesn’t get it. Nor do his officious and prickly representatives. Every serial sexual abuser in the priesthood and every hierarchical enabler must go. And then we must debate openly and bravely how to remake the priesthood in ways that reaffirm its core purpose. I want married priests, women priests, and openly gay priests – all upholding the sacred responsibility of the church to protect the young in its care. But what I fear is that the authorities are still playing defensive; that the Pope is incapable – for reasons of sheer illness, age and outlook – to do what is necessary. Peggy Noonan, in an impressive piece today, hopes it is the first of many statements by the Pope to address this issue. I fear he is simply not up to the task. I admire him greatly as a pope but I admire Ronald Reagan and I still don’t think he should be president today. Wojtila is a member the Reagan-Thatcher generation. Reagan and Thatcher are both sick and old – as, sadly, is the pope. Given the way we select pontiffs, we are leaderless at a time of profound crisis. Which is why we, the laity, must lead. For we are the church too.
O’REILLY FOR GAY ADOPTIONS: I don’t agree with everything Bill O’Reilly says here. But I do admire his ability to think clearly about mature, responsible gay people, to eschew the easy gay-baiting of some on the social right, and to argue for what are the genuine needs of children that can, in many cases, only be served by good, gay parents.
The Dish 