Priests' letter to nuncio denounces Venice, Fla., bishop
"It is highly unusual for priests to complain formally about their bishop to someone higher up the hierarchical chain. The fear of reprisal is not unfounded, since diocesan priests are entirely dependent on the bishop for everything from salary to placement to pensions. Unlike priests in a religious order, for instance, every step of the career of a diocesan priest is subject to the approval of his local bishop."
I must admit that when I first read this article, my first reaction was, “WOW! This sounds like something that our Non-NCW priests might need to do!” Upon re-reading it, my reaction has changed to, “I pray that our Non-NCW priests will get together and write a letter to the Nuncio!”
ReplyDeleteI wrote to the Nuncio in January and received what appeared to be a form letter to acknowledge receipt, which prompted the feeling that the Nuncio did not take my letter very seriously. As the months passed since our exchange of letters, I couldn’t help feeling that the Nuncio might be more responsive to letters from the clergy. In the same time frame, another thought has occurred to me: There is a distinct possibility that the Nuncio might be prone to protecting the Archbishop as part of the “Good Ol’ Boy System.” I pray that I’m wrong, but it is not uncommon for those in power to have a strong sense of self-preservation to maintain their status — and both the Nuncio and the Archbishop are powerful men in the Church.
In January there were two posts that I believe make action by the Non-NCW clergy necessary:
• “Sent Via Email: Breaking Priests,” submitted by “Name withheld out of fear,” mentioned “psychological fear … by the three on the hill … to mentally break priests.” The writer stated “Some priests are sick at this time because of what’s happening … priests on Guam are … afraid to express themselves …” The writer concludes “A group of priests who see the danger Guam is in will have to come together and seek an appointment with Archbishop Krebs … Guam’s people will back these priests.”
• “Dear Pope Francis,” submitted by Anonymous, stated, “The priests in the Archdiocese of Agana are under duress” and asserted that “The Archdiocese is in peril … needs the intervention of Rome … immediately.”
In the 5 months since those posts, I honestly think that things have continued to worsen. There was a comment in the recent post “If Nothing Else” that the “Archbishop offered incardination to a priest in exchange for support.” If this is accurate, it is an indication that the Archbishop has realized the adulation from the RMS priests is not enough and that he will need to garner support from Non-NCW clergy, beginning with the most vulnerable ones, the Filipino priests. It saddens me to think that any priest would “sell” his support to the Archbishop.
Individual letters from us the laity have not worked. I believe the time has come for our Non-NCW clergy to come together and follow the lead of the group of priests in Florida, per this article. I honestly believe the Nuncio needs to hear from members of the clergy — as a group — to motivate him to take some kind of action.
Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy, pray for our priests, especially for our Beleaguered Non-NCW Priests!
The effing priests need to shut up if Guam priests do this there meat. Best they leave Guam or there life be hell.
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