AGAIN, this is not an endorsement.
BUT I notice a BOOMLET developing for Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley.
This time, I know enough about the candidate to have plenty of confidence in his saintliness, integrity, scholarly excellence, theological soundness, and evangelical orientation and dedication. He’s also the most techno-savvy of the CARDINALS, with his own BLOG and all.
The objection to an American pope has always been that the result would be the impression that a single superpower controls both the temporal and spiritual realms through the CIA.
But America’s power is no longer so super. And the least you can say today is that the CHURCH and STATE in our country are not in cahoots.
An Irish-American Capuchin pope with a Ph.D in Spanish and Portuguese… Might be great for the CHURCH to make the papacy less Eurocentric and the Vatican disciplined by the wisdom and virtue of an outsider. Might be great for America to have a Capuchin “role model.” I’m thinking here about what Walker Percy called the Church at the end of the modern world.
I’m posting this not to tell you what to think but to get your opinion.
March 8th, 2013 | 10:52 am
As a peripheral acquaintance of Cardinal O’Malley during his time in Fall River, Massachusetts and later in Boston, he is the only individual I would classify as “walking around a saint” based on personal knowledge. He seems nearly without ambition and willing to go to any lengths for his flock.
He is non-confrontational in his leadership style, which I would actually count against him for this position. I’m hoping for a Pope that will push for the enforcement of canon 915, and I don’t think O’Malley is that guy. I’m praying for Burke or Arinze.
March 8th, 2013 | 11:41 am
[...] evangelical orientation and dedication. He’s also the most techno-savvy of the CARDINALS, with …read more Source: Postmodern [...]
March 8th, 2013 | 12:02 pm
Professor Lawler, not apropos of the subject of this post, I am curious what is the reason for your technique of capitalizing certain words.
March 9th, 2013 | 1:15 am
Cardinal sean would be a disastrous Pope.
Here in Boston he has been an uninspiring spiritual leader who has the largest and most expensive pr outfit in USA made up of former Obama pols who never defend Church teachings. His pr outfit went so far this week as to solicit an endorsement of him by the Boston Globe for Pope. The Globe is 100 against th teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. So ask yourself why did they endorse Omalley.
The Vatican had to check him this week as he immediatley tried to take over press conferences that were under the authority of the Vatican.
Omalley has been silent here on homosexual marriage and other issues threatening our civil and moral order.
He constitutes the worst possible candidate for POPE!
March 9th, 2013 | 3:08 pm
On the CAPS issue, PAY ATTENTION! I covered it a few weeks ago.
On O’MALLEY, the two comments give radically incompatible reasons for his UNFITNESS.
March 9th, 2013 | 7:25 pm
Because he ordained me, I’m wildly prejudiced, but know His Eminence to be a kind, intelligent and thoughtful pastor. Nevertheless I do not expect him or any American to be our next Pope. And, despite some earlier comments accusing him of not so subtle campaigning, I also suspect that Cardinal Sean would prefer to remain right where he is. Of course, I also believed the same about another kind, intelligent and gentle man who just spent eight years in the Chair of Peter. And so all of this prognosticating is moot since the choice will ultimately be made by the Holy Spirit.
March 9th, 2013 | 8:18 pm
Peter,
You are apparently missing a few details about Cardinal O’Malley.
Are you aware the Boston Archdiocese is nearly $140M in debt and running operating deficits the past several years that have drained all capital reserves? See:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/boston-archdiocese-reports-deficit-137m-debt/
You reference you are aware of his integrity. If so, then how do you explain how the Boston Archdiocese lied about having a “balanced budget” for 2011, when in reality they ran a deficit. This is evidenced in the actual reports from last year and this year:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/balanced-budget-or-unbalanced-budget/
Are you unaware of the deception in the Catholic Schools policy rolled out in 2011, and how the Cardinal and his staff lied and twisted the words of the Holy Father to pretend a statement by him justified their policy to admit children of homosexual parents?
Furthermore, are you unaware of the deception, fiscal mismanagement, governance problems and corruption in the Boston Archdiocese under him? Are you unaware of his failures to teach, sanctify and govern? If so, check out this blog post:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/why-cardinal-omalley-should-not-be-pope-part-1/
Are you unaware that Mass attendance has plummeted under his leadership? Only 15% of Boston Catholics now attend Mass regularly. Mass attendance is down 23% from 2000 to 2009. 40-50% parishes cannot pay their bills:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/short-on-priests-and-faithful-boston-archdiocese-considers-parish-mergers/.
“Statistics from the archdiocese indicate that 40 percent of its parishes are barely meeting their financial needs or operating at a loss, while the number of active diocesan priests is expected to diminish by nearly half – from around 400, to only 180 – by 2021. Mass attendance in Boston dropped by 23 percent between 2000 and 2009.”
Are you aware of how many Catholic schools have closed in the past 5 years?
Are you aware of how many parishes have closed?
Are you aware they are grossly overpaying lay executives and squandering donor contributions, to the tune of $3.7M in salaries and benefits to just 16 over-paid lay execs annually?
See
http://bostonherald.com//news_opinion/local_coverage/2012/03/alms_over_salaries
or
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/boston-herald-up-in-alms-over-salaries/
For other financial and governance problems, see:
Fleecing the Flock video by the Vortex:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/fleecing-the-flock-in-boston/
Dead Branches:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/dead-branches/
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/debt-ridden-boston-archdiocese-pays-lay-execs-3-7m-violates-fiduciary-responsibility-and-motu-proprio/
Are you unaware of the scandal created by Cardinal Sean by his presiding over the canonization-style funeral of Sen. Ted Kennedy?
Playing to the Base: About the Role of Cardinal O’Malley in the Scandalous Ted Kennedy funeral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgv0VWMiHE8&feature=player_embedded
Read a few of the posts above, let us know if you still think Sean O’Malley should be Pope.
March 10th, 2013 | 10:20 am
So in addition to the above I’ve gotten several emails along the THREE lines above: 1. He’s too saintly and unworldly to be an enforcer-pope. 2. He’s conducting a shameless media campaign for the papacy, including the allegedly Machiavellian move of securing the endorsement of THE BOSTON GLOBE (as if that could really help??) 3. He’s an incompetent weasel in Boston (all the evidence there from the BOSTON INSIDER seems sketchy to me with the exception of participating in Kennedy’s funeral [that was, in fact, the wrong thing to do].)
March 10th, 2013 | 10:56 am
Peter,
I don’t know what is sketchy about the numbers. Cardinal Sean is a poor administrator and his resplendent personal sanctity does not translate into the effective and authentic teaching that is required for the New Evangelization. The RC Church in Boston is moribund.
There are two other situations in Boston that you need to consider: 1) the continuing scandal of an openly homosexual parish in Boston’s South End-St. Cecilia’s; 2) the Cardinal’s handling of the sale of the Caritas Christi hospital network of greater Boston. There is no longer a Roman Catholic presence in the provision of healthcare in Massachusetts. The sale was ineptly handled and all Catholic identity has been wiped from the hospitals. St. Cecilia’s is an activist center for pro-homosexual and anti-marriage agitation. The pastor is a favorite of the Cardinal.
I’m sure the Cardinal has been wonderfully charming to you, however you really need to look at the situation on the ground.
March 10th, 2013 | 11:27 am
The ‘boomlet’ is being created by his pr operation. WBZ radio Boston calls it a “buzz”
The USA today piece is shameless. One is reminded of Caesar in Shakespeare and the staged play within the play where Caesar refuses the crown offered by Anthony.
March 10th, 2013 | 12:28 pm
Peter,
What is sketchy in the evidence?
We seem to agree on the Kennedy funeral at least. The participation in the Kennedy coronation-style funeral created grave scandal and gave pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians air-cover, and his subsequent blog post to try to justify that which has no justification created additional scandal. Years later, read the comments on this National Catholic Register article:
http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/cardinal-omalley-reflects-on-life-efforts/
What about the facts about Mass attendance and parishes unable to pay their bills is ‘sketchy”?
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/short-on-priests-and-faithful-boston-archdiocese-considers-parish-mergers/.
“Statistics from the archdiocese indicate that 40 percent of its parishes are barely meeting their financial needs or operating at a loss, while the number of active diocesan priests is expected to diminish by nearly half – from around 400, to only 180 – by 2021. Mass attendance in Boston dropped by 23 percent between 2000 and 2009.”
It has gotten even worse since this article was published.
Cardinal O’Malley is closely allied with a multi-millionaire businessman who while sitting on the Archdiocesan Finance Council (responsible for fund-raising), is working against the Catholic Church by raising tens of millions of dollars for pro-abortion politicians like Obama (who work against our religious freedom) and who actively support medical centers that perform abortions (Partners Healthcare, where he was chairman) or train medical personnel to perform abortions.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/boston-catholics-call-on-archdiocese-to-end-relationship-with-obama-backing/
http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/06/21/president-obama-will-make-campaign-swing-through-boston-monday-for-series-fundraisers/xsNzFx2AGik11AuhVSGd0H/story.html
The Boston Archdiocese has a “Code of Conduct” that says, “Church Personnel will continually and objectively examine and evaluate their own actions and intentions to ensure that their behavior promotes the welfare of the Archdiocese and each applicable Archdiocesan Affiliated Organization and exemplifies the moral traditions of the Church.”
How does raising money for Obama and giving personal funds to support abortion-on-demand promote the welfare of the Archdiocese and exemplify the moral traditions of the Church–and how does Cardinal O’Malley keeping him aboard as a key advisor not create scandal?
They announced they had a “balanced budget” in 2011 and 2012, when that was a flat out lie.
Here are the announcements:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/15/archdiocese_of_boston_says_budget_was_balanced_in_2010/
http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x767708608/Release-of-Boston-Archdiocese-2011-financial-report
Cardinal O’Malley said, “The Archdiocese of Boston has greatly benefited by the financial management of recent years that has achieved and sustained a balanced budget.”
The problem is, that was a lie. Look at the financial reports–the links are right here:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/balanced-budget-or-unbalanced-budget/
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/boston-archdiocese-reports-deficit-137m-debt/
What is “sketchy”? Follow the links to the Boston Archdiocese reports, do your homework, and you will see this is all factually correct. BCI references material you can find readily yourself, if you are willing to take five minutes to do the research.
There are dozens more examples. Here is one more. In May 2010, a pastor rejected admission to his parish Catholic school the child of two lesbians. It created a national uproar at the same time Cardinal O’Malley was away in Portugal. His Catholic Schools office declared that the pastor was wrong and not acting consistent with archdiocesan policy:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/14/catholic.student.gay.parents/index.html
“The archdiocese does not prohibit children of same-sex parents from attending Catholic schools,” said Mary Grassa O’Neill, the archdiocese’s secretary for education and superintendent of Catholic schools. “We will work in the coming weeks to develop a policy to eliminate any misunderstandings in the future.”
The Archdiocese of Denver, then under Archbishop Chaput, had a policy which, for the good of the child, did NOT allow children of homosexual parents in Catholic schools. Boston was supposed to have been studied the Denver policy before Boston released their policy, but that never happened. Months later, the archdiocese released their policy with the first words being a blatant lie.
http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=12831
“In creating this policy we are guided by the words of the Holy Father, by Canon Law and by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops”
The problem is they were guided by their OWN INTERNAL decision to admit children of homosexual parents, not by the words of the Holy Father, because the words they cited and were supposedly inspired by were wildly out of context and could not possibly have provided inspiration. The policy cited this:
“No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.” Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Catholic Educators in Washington DC. April 17, 2008.
The context was an exhortation to get pepole to contribute generously to the financial needs of Catholic schools so Catholic school education would available people of all FINANCIAL means. He had spoken about the sacrifices of so many that set the foundation for a network of Catholic Schools. He said:
http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/Releases/2008/PopeBenedictSpeech.cfm
“Countless dedicated Religious Sisters, Brothers, and Priests together with selfless parents have, through Catholic schools, helped generations of immigrants to rise from poverty and take their place in mainstream society. This sacrifice continues today. It is an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs of over three million children and students. It also provides a highly commendable opportunity for the entire Catholic community to contribute generously to the financial needs of our institutions. Their long-term sustainability must be assured. Indeed, everything possible must be done, in cooperation with the wider community, to ensure that they are accessible to people of all social and economic strata. No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.”
Then there is Cardinal O’Malley’s choice of people to surround himself with as senior advisors. How do you explain his employing Fr. Bryan Hehir as his closest advisor?
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/the-eminence-grise-of-the-boston-archdiocese/
with his history of involvement in Marxist causes and views on suppression of the Catholic Church’s moral views in the public square?
http://bryanhehirexposed.wordpress.com/bryan-hehir-chronology/
Peter, you called the carefully documented reports at Boston Catholic Insider “sketchy.” Everything there is researched and documented with links you can follow yourself to find out about the deception, corruption and failings by Cardinal O’Malley to effectively teach, sanctify, and govern. This blog has been read by nearly 600,000 unique visitors since its inception (234,000 last year alone).
You said “I know enough about the candidate to have plenty of confidence in his saintliness, integrity, scholarly excellence, theological soundness, and evangelical orientation and dedication.”
Could you tell what you personally know in-depth about his accomplishments in Boston in the areas of teaching, sanctifying, and governing that refute the actual record we have all seen and witnessed here? Perhaps you know something that refutes these two summaries below:
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/why-cardinal-omalley-should-not-be-pope-part-1/
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/parallels-between-vatican-politicscorruption-and-boston-diocesan-corruption/
If not, then perhaps you might wish to make a few corrections to your original post.
March 10th, 2013 | 2:17 pm
Peter,
The only thing sketchy on this page is your confidence level in the “saintliness, integrity, scholarly excellence, theological soundness, and evangelical orientation and dedication” of Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley. The only thing accurate in your post is that he’s multi-lingual and he has his own blog.
A Lawler with a different first name, Phil Lawler, had this to say about the Boston Globe’s endorsement for Sean O’Malley.
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=525
The Globe, a paper with a long history of anti-Catholicism, reasons that Cardinal O’Malley would be a good leader for the universal Church because, among other qualities, he is not as “forceful” as other prelates. You understand, naturally, that in hoping that the Church will choose a non-forceful leader, the Globe has only the welfare of Catholicism in mind.
With friends like these…
If an anti-Catholic paper endorses Cardinal Sean O’Malley in part because they know he’s he’s been a weak leader in Boston, every faithful Catholic should be petrified if he were elected Pope.
March 10th, 2013 | 4:49 pm
Mr Lawler,
Could you share the basis for your conclusions and confidence? We haven’t seen evidence of the traits you mention for about eight years now. It’s been more like the opposite.
March 10th, 2013 | 7:00 pm
thanks for all your comments. I only ask you to remember that I asked for opinions and, by gosh, I got them. My newest post is my summary about what I learned from you. It goes without saying I’m not in a position to agree or disagree with you on everything, and so I limited myself to what I could affirm with my own eyes about the evidence you presented.
March 13th, 2013 | 9:59 pm
Peter,
Many thanks for your honesty and integrity in your blog
once you received the overwhelming evidence about the
allegedly humble sandle wearing self promoter from Boston.
We got a wonderful new Pope in Francis I.
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