Posted by Al on 3/31/2008, 9:12 am, in reply to "Discretion and denial cannot overcome demographics."
Harry
More important than the demographics is the preparation and "screening" for the episcopacy, which in the case of at least one jurisdiction, just does not take place. Of their two recent disasters in mitres, look at the recently retired one:
- Separated from military service for failure to be selected for promotion. A distinction reserved for the bottom 20% of the officers in his cohort.
- Dropped out of seminary after one year without telling anyone he would not be back.
- Unremarkable as a parish priest.
- Nominated by the members of the diocese because the other candidate was so well educated and from a prominent family, it intimidated some folks.
From him spawned a currently serving train-wreck bishop who:
- Does not appeared to have completed seminary training. In fact, the details of his training have been kept quite murky.
- Showed early signs of unbridled ambition.
In fact, if one looks at the composition of that jurisdiction's synod, a lack of graduate level theological degrees is a common element. While I admit that education does not guarantee a good bishop, it does help for them to at least have some rigorous, formal theological training.
In short, this jurisdiction, which is currently facing some serious headaches, has not established a program to identify, early on, quality candidates to train and afford experience for later consideration as episcopal candidates. All they do is wait for a vacancy and then see what's available from their band of pals.
I have a friend of long standing who is a Roman Catholic bishop. When I first met him, he was a military chaplain serving with me. There was no doubt in my mind that he had all the personal, intellectual, leadership and spiritual characteristics that would someday make him a fine bishop. It didn't take long for me to see that Rome had the same impression. He was carefully given education (Doctorate from Pontifical Institute, for example) and experience (military, parish, seminary faculty, diocesean, etc) to groom him, and was watched closely at every step to see if he lived up to expectations. He is currently a beloved and highly effective diocesean bishop. But that was not by accident.
If the above mentioned jurisdiction used the same criteria for selecting married bishops as it does celibates, the only difference today would be that the disasters would have wives to complain to as well as chancellors!
Further, since a properly pastoral bishop is rarely in his residence, there is some logic to not having married men is this role. Their wives would be functional widows.
No, the problem is not as simple as expanding the pool of candidates. Until the Church in the US, bishops, clergy and laity alikes decides to afford rigorous preparation and screening of candidates for the episcopate, it will continue to muddle its way into oblivion.
Al
