PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philebrity
With the Archdiocese of Philadelphia currently asking the parents of Catholic school students to sign a “Memorandum of Understanding” (declaring, among other things, that “In all questions that involve Catholic teaching, morals, and Church law, the final determination rests with the Archbishop”), Archibishop Chaput has been raising some eyebrows throughout the Delaware Valley of late. With the papal visit mere weeks away, The Inquirer has just run a fascinating op/ed piece from U.s. magistrate judge Timothy R. Rice that examines how Chaput’s actions may be impacting his faith in the region. From the article:
The local archbishop, Charles J. Chaput, rules with a fist clenched in a velvet glove. Cloaked as a man of God, his message is simple: Follow all rules or leave the Church; we have no need for dissent or diversity in our ranks.
Judging from some of his email replies to the faithful, he is less than kind about delivering the message. Lately, he has taken off his gloves and started delivering bare-fisted body blows. Some days it seems he is auditioning to be a modern-day Rocky Balboa in clerical garb, pounding away on a side of beef at a slaughterhouse at the Italian Market.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.