
These are only some of the comments of a disappointed, openly gay priest who is no longer permitted to exercise priestly faculties:
Cardinal Mahony, wrote Fr. Farrow, “who likes to view himself as a progressive, would never voluntarily be replaced by a member of the ultra-reactionary group, Opus Dei. His replacement by someone from Opus Dei clearly communicates that Mahony has lost all practical influence in Rome and was not able to name his successor.”
“What does this mean for the future of the Catholic Church in Los Angeles and California?” asked Farrow. “It means a sharp thrust to the right. The Archbishop of Los Angeles does not merely run the church in LA; he also has tremendous influence on naming the bishop in its associated sees (i.e. San Diego, Orange, Monterey, Fresno, and Riverside) and Region XI, which includes the rest of California. Many of these sees will soon require new bishops and Gomez will have tremendous influence in naming who those bishops will be. He will also reshape the education and formation of new priests for the whole region since St. John’s Seminary, where priests are trained and formed, is under his direct control.”
“(Archbishop) Gomez is an excellent choice from the perspective of Rome,” wrote Fr. Farrow. “He is a member of Opus Dei and therefore ‘orthodox’ and more importantly subservient to Rome. He is a Latino who speaks broken English with a heavy Spanish accent and possesses a populist ‘easy going’ demeanor. He will be a huge hit with Latinos in Southern California and politicians will think twice before confronting Gomez on any point.”
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Editor’s note: After a long string of various scandals and embarrassments, plus some $600 million in abuse settlements, things (finally) appear to be looking up for left-coast Catholics!
April 22, 2010
Categories: Events, Inspirational, Politics . Tags: Archbishop Gomez, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, california, Cardinal Mahoney, catholic, homosexuals, Opus Dei, progressives, retirement, vatican . Author: Doug Lawrence . Comments: Leave a comment