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	Burke's Tactics May Ultimately Aid Reformers National Catholic Reporter July 11, 2008 http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1390 President John F. Kennedy once remarked that "the civil rights movement should thank God for Bull Connor. He's helped it as much as Abraham Lincoln." Some time in the future those advocating a greater role in the church for lay Catholics and greater accountability from the hierarchy might say the same of Archbishop Raymond Burke. Kennedy, of course, was referring to the over-the-top methods the Birmingham, Ala., law enforcement officer infamously used against demonstrators. He met civil dissenters with fire hoses and police dogs, methods that played well among a minority of like-minded ultraconservatives, but that ultimately moved public opinion in a way that helped achieve the change O'Connor opposed. Every Catholic bishop in the United States today faces the daunting challenge of ministering to a church that is divided, one in which faithful members are often suspicious of authority, and in which younger Catholics are either dismissive of authority or altogether missing from the pews. No one has a blueprint for dealing with this contentious community, but Burke brought a distinctive model to bear: He met dissenters with canon law and excommunications. This is, of course, one way to deal with things. And he administered out of his best judgment, however much we may disagree with that judgment. It is, after all, administration, or a model of it, that he knows. And it is to administer that he has been transferred to his new post in Rome as head of the Vatican's highest court. Indeed, most of Burke's career has been spent in administrative posts, carrying out the law. Most of his professional associations are canon law societies; the vast majority of his writing is in canon law. His pastoral experience, on the other hand, amounted to less than one year, immediately after ordination. Burke, a champion of traditionalists throughout the country, worked tirelessly to put in place a vision of a kind of retro-church, heavy on the use of Latin and anachronistic royal role play including elaborate capes, canopies and attendants. The problem is that few believe the church of the 21st century should be retrofitted into one of centuries past. Burke has been one of the most polarizing figures in the history of the St. Louis archdiocese and leaves St. Louis with many victims in his wake, the last being a dedicated and caring Sister of Charity, Louise Lears (see story). His actions have convinced a lot of people, if any questions lingered, that Burke's model of church doesn't work here anymore.
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