KANSAS CITY (MO)
Kansas City Star
BY MARY SANCHEZ
msanchez@kcstar.com
The diocese that Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. will lead is a far different one than the previous bishop found upon his arrival.
Society is different, in ways that will ease the way for the new bishop, and ways that have riled him in the past.
Johnston has been a strong supporter of two of the most noncontroversial arms of the Catholic church in his previous position as the leader of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Catholic Charities and the Catholic Worker movement are strong in the Kansas City area, making significant impact on the lives of poor people and those who are too often left without a voice. The faith’s most vocal critics would do well to visit the deeds of both and see the power of faith at its best.
Where the sparks may fly again are with the issues that many faiths, and certainly many Catholics, routinely wrestle. And that is the chafing that occurs between changing societal norms and church teachings.
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