Good news!

There’s been much made of the varied failings of several bishops. I’m one of too many that have said uncharitable things about some of the men whom Christ has chosen to lead His Church. That makes it all the more important to rejoice when a bishop does something that vividly demonstrates fidelity and courage.

Some time ago I came to know a priest whom I’ll call Fr. P – a somewhat annoying man*, but a decent priest who said Mass with reverence and dignity; preached heresy-free homilies and made numerous hospital calls. Before I came to know him, Fr. P had been a member of a religions order (“Order X”). For reasons unknown to me, Fr. P sought to leave Order X and become a diocesan priest here in Denver. (I know of another priest who left a different order and was incardinated as a diocesan priest in Denver earlier this year.) It was agreed that Fr. P and the archdiocese would go through a period of mutual discernment. Fr. P was given a series of assignments in Denver that, though no fault of his own, turned out to be rather brief.

About two years ago, Fr. P was told that his next assignment would be a parish in a town some 70 miles from Denver. (Our archdiocese is quite large geographically and it is common for priests to move between parishes in the metro area and those in towns in the farther reaches of the state – 70 miles is very close to Denver compared to some parishes.) Fr. P told the archbishop that he could not accept this assignment, or any assignment that would require him to be away from his “circle of support” or to live somewhere other than his condominium. (Yes, you read that right: Fr. P, until about four years previously a member of a religious order that had a vow of poverty, owned a condominium. It’s in a nice neighborhood too. I’m not sure I could afford a condo in that building. I don’t have any idea how he raised that kind of money, but I’m sure that the source of his funds for buying the condo are absolutely none of my business.)

Fr. P asked (and was allowed) to continue on his last Denver assignment for the duration of the discernment period. That discernment period ended just before the recent archdiocesan clergy conference at which Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M.Cap. mentioned the case of Fr. P (or so I was told by a priest who was there and whom I believe to be a reliable source for what follows).. His Excellency made it clear that there were no allegations of any moral turpitude against Fr. P**, but that since accepting the assignments given by one’s superior and living in a rectory are essential elements of the charism of the diocesan clergy in our archdiocese, Fr. P would not be incardinated. As of the last I heard, Fr. P is in a sort of limbo. He does not have priestly faculties in the Archdiocese of Denver, yet he’s no longer a member of Order X. I suppose he could petition for incardination in some other diocese, though I honestly have no idea whether he’s inclined to do so. It will be interesting to see what he does.

There are some folks (particularly those fond of Fr. P) who are upset by the archbishop’s decision. I applaud it. At last a bishop takes a stand on behalf of the Church (and, of course of her Lord and His people) rather than kowtowing to the whims of a priest who wants to write his own rules. Would that more of the bishops that have had to deal with problem priests (and, particularly, those with much larger problems) have done the same.

The grand irony is that after all of this Fr. P may end up as an effective priest in some other diocese. (If there is one where priests can name their own assignments and live on their own that would take a priest who isn’t screamingly heterodox.)

*He annoys me because he is prone to several of my own faults. He annoys others by being pedantic, condescending and stubborn, but I repeat myself.

**I would think that Fr. P would be especially vulnerable to such allegations by virtue of his living arrangements. The priest who lives in a rectory acquires a series of witnesses to his behavior and companions that can serve to deflect allegations of impropriety.