I'm just placing my order for Archbishop Rembert Weakland's memoir, A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop, to be released Monday. Seven years ago, Weakland retired amidst considerable scandal caused by a large financial settlement paid by the Archdiocese on what, in my opinion, are unbelievably weak grounds (link). Of course, the settlement caused uproar because we, as a society, never pay for the dumb stuff other people do. Not being Roman Catholic myself, I suppose my response would be that if Catholics are offended by the payment, they should be offended by the system that demands priestly celibacy, which I would argue is the root problem here. While not certainly defending child abuse--and not considering it a crime seems mind-boggling to me--I almost want to ask what people expect to happen as a result of the celibacy requirement. Do they actually expect the priests to live it out? C'mon, guys, I'm gullible, but even I am not that gullible.
So, I assume no book tour? Is this too scandalous for a society that worships porn stars and Paris Hilton? I, for one, wish the retired Archbishop the best. During his decades of service, he struck me as a genuinely spritual leader. Nowadays, Christian churches of all denominations seem more enamored of leaders who implement programs and generate revenue. Weakland, in contrast, is the kind of clergy I'd want at my bedside if I were seriously ill or dying.
