From New Catholic Times, Canada, by Ted Shmidt, Catholica,

From New Catholic Times, Canada

By Ted Shmidt
Catholica
May 30, 2008

http://catholica.com.au/gc2/nct/001_nct_300508.php

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson has certainly been generating plenty of media coverage from his speaking tour in North America. Our colleagues, Ted Schmidt and John Quinn at New Catholic Times Sensus Fidelium in Toronto, Canada, report that the Archbishop of Toronto has now attempted to obstruct Bishop Robinson from speaking in his Archdiocese. Bishop Robinson is persisting though in his quest to have the issues of power and sex discussed openly and sensibly in the Church. These articles by the editor of New Catholic Times, Ted Schmidt, and John Quinn is how they are reporting the developments in Canada. This is the first of a regular exchange of commentaries we hope to bring Catholica readers from New Catholic Times. Catholica readers might also be interested in how National Catholic Reporter covered the first of Bishop Robinson's addresses in the United States. NCR also carries a report HERE of Bishop Robinson being presented with an award from Voice of the Faithful for priestly integrity.

How Bishop Robinson's talk is being promoted in Canada

The Western Catholic world is all abuzz with L'affaire Robinson. The prestigious London Tablet and America's National Catholic Reporter as well as our own Canadian paper newcatholictimes:sensus fidelium and Catholica Australia have all made it their lead stories in the last two weeks.

Fr. Ron Trojcak

The story is this. Bishop Geoffrey Robinson a recently retired auxiliary bishop in Sydney Australia has written a Catholic best seller, here and in Australia. The title is self-explanatory: Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus.

Fr. Ron Trojcak of King's College, University of Western Ontario in a review in our paper says this about the book: "Bishop Geoffrey Robinson is a member of the Church's 'old boys' club,' Second, his status as former auxiliary is the reason he wrote the book. But here is some additional information: he is a canon lawyer; he was considered to be the intellectual 'star' of the Australian hierarchy, and finally, he headed the commission 'overseeing' the matter of clerical pedophilia for the Australian bishops. He resigned his post as auxiliary bishop as a result of his frustration with, and disappointment over the official response to the pedophilia scandal. The response is reflected in the books title"

Professor Trojcak continues: "Most remarkable, or course, if the book itself. It is an extraordinarily rich compendium including biblical exegesis, spirituality, canon law, Church history and theology, especially ecclesiology, together with a searching analysis of the current state of the Church. And in nothing in the remarkable range of topics, can one find any trace of a dillettantish superficiality. This man is fully in possession of knowledge that is not only wide, but deep. He is anything but a dabbler, and is deeply conscious of the seriousness of the issues he addresses. He has been quoted as saying that he has never felt himself to be so thoroughly as pastor as when writing the book."

Having read the book we thought that we would like to invite Bishop Robinson who is on a North American tour to speak to Toronto area Catholics. He is being welcomed south of the border by among others the Paulist Fathers in Boston and the Jesuits in Fairfield Connecticut. But the welcome mat has been pulled from under him in Toronto (as it was in Los Angeles). Auxiliary bishop Richard Grecco speaking for Archbishop Thomas Collins has let it be known that it would be an embarrassment to the Church to have this fellow bishop in good standing appear in any Catholic venue.

Now the doors have been slammed shut in all Catholic institutions but sadder still ecclesiastical minds have been closed by the Toronto hierarchy proving that the "ice age" of Pope John Paul ll Catholicism is still with us. The dialogue championed by popes John XXlll and Paul Vl have become tired monologues which deeply insult the intelligence and integrity of the broader Catholic church.

Luckily the clerical caste is but a very minor part of the Catholic Church, so we offering hospitality to Bishop Robinson at the United Church theologate of Emmanuel College, 75 Queens Park Circle (Museum subway) at 2 P.M. next Sunday June 1. All are welcome to come and dialogue with Bishop Robinson.