Sad Situation
Almost everyone in the Church, regardless of time in history or particular issue, has experienced frustration with the pace of the Church and often some of her Bishops. Occasionally someone takes matters into their own hands beyond the proven ground of an apostolate and seeks to persuade or embarrass the Church into falling in line with their own time-table and perhaps even methodology. Is this what has happened in the case of Randall Terry?
Archbishop Burke was deceived he says, as to the intended audience of the interview he did with Randall Terry. From where I sit it doesn’t seem that the Archbishop said anything that was not in the public domain already from his many statements. But he was used. He should have had the opportunity to know and decide whether or not he would chose his words differently or not said anything at all. I suspect he would not have said much differently although he says in his response that he would not have given the interview at all.
Perhaps the reason for that is that in speaking to an apostolate as simply a Bishop he is not overreaching the bounds of protocol as a prefect head in the Vatican. But for public consumption he is required to be mindful of his position and responsibility for a unified message coming from the Vatican. As I said, I doubt the message would be any different. I think the reason he was brought into the Vatican is precisely because of his uncompromising stand against evil, and in particular the evil of abortion. But when it comes to the nuance of bringing all the Bishops of the USCCB on board with a unified stand against the abuse of the Eucharist by Catholic politicians who thumb their nose at clear and unequivocal Church teaching, there are perhaps subtleties that are required so as to give no additional ammunition to those who would love to divide the Church even more than it is already.
That being said, although everyone can identify the uncompromising zeal of Randall Terry, he is lacking in plain common sense if he seeks to embarrass those in the hierarchy of the Church who are the most sympathetic to his apostolate. And Archbishop Burke is such a one. Does Terry think that this will get his cause advanced? Perhaps the cause but not Randall Terry. He has driven a wedge of suspicion into his relationship with the Vatican. I would be surprised if he ever gets another interview.
The really sad thing is that the cause could not be more just. But if you abuse your friends enough, sooner or later they will let you proceed on your own. You effectively marginalize yourself and in the process marginalize the cause. A sincere apology might help at this point. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.
The interview. The response at Insight Scoop posted by Mark Brumley.