The obnoxious, spiritually deformed, obnoxious, micro-managing, Republican sounding, out-of-step, theologically faulty, hated, Palin-esque, Roberto Duran-ish, obsolete, inefficient, polluting, control freak Bishop Joseph Martino is gone. So says Anthony Stevens Arroyo who writes for the On Faith blog and is ironically criticizing Bishop Martino for lacking collegiality.
Arroyo’s touchdown dance over Bishop Martino’s resignation is sickening. But it’s all OK because Arroyo says people hated Martino.
Isn’t he sweet?
I’ll just bold some of the more egregious insults aimed at Bishop Martino but it’s all worth reading.
The Aug. 31 press conference when Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino announced his resignation raised my admiration of the Catholic Church. After all, the secular world uses crude imagery like “Cash for Clunkers” to describe how to move on. Catholicism is far more artful.
Seldom does an ordained bishop run away from his commitment on account of “insomnia.” Martino’s words echo Roberto Duran’s “No más, no más” and Sarah Palin’s claim to serve the State of Alaska by not serving the State of Alaska. But Catholicism has phrases like “the good of the Church” and “service to the Gospel” to embellish an undeniably uncomfortable moment. The swiftness with which the Vatican acted leaves little doubt about the finality of Bishop’s Martino journey into retirement. While the secular world uses a harsh term like “clunker” to describe something that is obsolete, runs inefficiently and pollutes its own environment, the Church has centuries of experience in moving on and away from an ineffectual bishop without losing credibility or embarrassing the prelate. What is called odium populi – hatred from the people – is cause for removal from office.
As one of the faithful in the Diocese of Scranton, I think my life under Martino helps me formulate an opinion about both his out-of-step spirituality and faulty theology issues.
Catholics are usually distinguished from Calvinists and Evangelical Protestants by our Christian humanism. We consider that “grace perfects nature.” In other words, being holy makes us more truly human. But occasionally, popular piety has suffered from spirituality with a more pessimistic view of human nature. In this view, when something is painful, it is therefore more holy. Clearly, there are times when the “truth hurts” as they say – but not always, and being obnoxious is not leadership.
Bishop Martino lacked a feel for people’s human feelings all too often. At a mass intended to introduce him to the diocese, for instance, he interrupted the service to forbid the holding of hands in the rite of peace. As a Puerto Rican Catholic, I can attest to the humanistic warmth of the kiss of peace that makes the liturgy more alive. But not only did the Bishop forbid it – perhaps for some arcane, but legitimate reason – he chose also to alienate the faithful gathered in prayer.
Insulated by a deformed spirituality, Bishop Martino spent 6 years interpreting carefulness as cowardice even though Catholicism demands human respect for the feelings of others.
I also think the bishop’s pastoral theology was faulty. Since the II Vatican Council, Catholicism has been set on a path of collegiality. Bishop Martino, however, issued continual directives that suffocated collegiality. In a situation where the closing of parishes and schools was necessary, he gave the impression that all decisions had already been made and efforts at dialog with the laity were merely perfunctory. He wound up micro-managing the universities, the religious orders, the votes of elected officials, the Catholic school teachers, even the organization of parades, etc. His favored weapon to enforce obedience was to withhold communion or ecclesiastical approval. Overall, his control-freakiness violated a bishop’s stated role, namely to administer the sacraments to a growing number of people rather than to shrink his flock.
His Republican-sounding October 2008 instruction on how Catholics had to vote against Democrats exposed his lack of influence over his flock that gave over 63% of their votes to Obama. Moreover, he attacked fellow bishops as lax on pro-life teaching, going so far in one instance of claiming that the consensus statement of Faithful Citizenship had no validity in Scranton. But Canon Law (455 #4) requires that a bishop “honor unity and charity with brother bishops in promulgating decrees.” So when Bishop Martino failed this test of unity and love with the other bishops, they paid him back in kind. In his final hour, he had few defenders in Rome.
His final error was to fall short in raising money because he had alienated the laity. Unfortunately, like all institutions, the church has a bottom line and if his own financial reports are to be believed, Bishop Martino didn’t measure up.
I wish retired Bishop Martino well, and simultaneously laud Rome’s wisdom that “traded him in” to give us a new leader.
So the obnoxious, spiritually deformed, micro-managing, Republican sounding, out-of-step, theologically faulty, hated, Palin-esque, Roberto Duran-ish, obsolete, inefficient, polluting, control freak clunker of a bishop is gone. And he is lectured by the kind and loving Arroyo who reminds him that, “Catholicism demands human respect for the feelings of others.”
September 11, 2009 at 1:57 am
No one knows the full story of this tragic situation. I only know this: Bishops who try to do their best in proclaiming orthodox Catholic teaching are going to bear the Cross daily. My prayers are for Bishop Martino and the people of his diocese. It looks Like Cardinal Rigali is doing a good job of helping things get settled down, but all of our bishops need our support and prayers.
September 11, 2009 at 2:05 am
I thought the same thing as Msgr. Eric Barr i.e. Arroyo is not privy to the decision making process. He should not pass his speculation or interpretation as factual.
September 11, 2009 at 5:23 am
Evidently this Anthony woman is a two-faced liar. He complains Martino had no feelings for others but obviously neither does he and has the nerve to point that stink finger.
Matt
September 11, 2009 at 6:17 am
I love that "Republican" is once again a dirty word de facto. Nice. Bet you're a real scream at parties, Anthony.
September 11, 2009 at 8:06 am
Wow…just wow.
I wonder if Anthony ever read St. Alphonsus. I'm sure he would be a out of step, theologically faulty, control freak too.
St. Alphonsus would probably also beat Mr. Arroyo with a whip for saying "Catholicism demands human respect for the feelings of others."
I'm just saying…we really need to pray for "American Catholics." A large portion of them cannot be called Catholics in the proper sense. Ecclessial persons maybe, but hardly Catholic. (shout out to Dominus Iesus)
September 11, 2009 at 11:25 am
I don't know a thing about the bishop, but if 63% of the diocese overlooked the life issue and voted for Obama, I hope they get their own version of Chaput.
September 11, 2009 at 12:39 pm
1. I can hardly wait for the divine Arroyo to evaluate Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of North Africa.
2. If "Puerto Rican Catholic" is a valid academic or theological category, is "Texan Catholic?"
3. Arroyo had me at the part about Bishop Martino interrupting the Woodstocky holding of hands so that the Sacrifice of the Mass could continue. Oooooh-RAH!
September 11, 2009 at 1:49 pm
No one in our Diocese knows the story. My husband and I are deeply saddened that Bishop Martino has fallen ill and resigned. He gave us such hope. I know people here. Most hated the Bishop because he demanded much from them. He wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said. Personally, I believe he was hounded and assaulted daily for his decisions and direction. There are many priests in the Diocese who blatantly disregarded everything he said or did. Our former priest is one of them. The Diocese of Scranton is lost. Bishop Martino did what he was called to do. Please continue to pray for Bishop Martino and us parishioners as well. It is a very difficult time right now.
September 11, 2009 at 3:01 pm
This guy is so far out in left field that I find it almost impossible to comment without writing something nearly as long as his screed. Given the state of the Church in the US, we clearly need much more out-of-step spirituality and theology that is considered faulty be this yo-yo. We also clearly need a good deal less of S-A's feeling above truth, Modernist group-think.
September 11, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Wow! I don't know Bishop Martino, but I love that he stopped the hand-holding crap. Our diocese has stopped it for swine flu reasons, but the Our Lady of Guadalupe Friary never has had the hand-shaking at the sign of peace and my husband and I both agree that the Mass flows so much better. Hand-shaking is a distraction to the pre-Communion frame of mind.
September 11, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Maureen, are you in CT?
September 11, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Wow- from Anthony's article, Bishop Martino sounds like my kind of Bishop!!!
I'll be praying for him and for those in the dioscese.
September 11, 2009 at 6:04 pm
anonymous 8:49 am 9/11/09,
Are you familiar with the Anglican Use group which is currently meeting at St.Anthony's on Wood Street?
Their priest, Fr. Bergman, was an Episcopal priest who converted, and many of his parishioners came with him.
They worship in a very dignified style. The priest celbrates ad orientem. The language of the introductory part of the mass and of then concluding prayers is from the old Anglican prayer book. The language of the actual mass prayrs, the "canon" is the canon of the old Catholic mass, the "Gregorian" or "Tridentine" rite, translated into an English style like that of the old Anglican prayer book. This rite is definitely approved by Rome. Bishop Martino very much encouraged the Anglican Use group.
They are very faithful Catholics, engage in traditional devotions, preach orthodox Catholicism, doctrinally and morally.
They are also a young and growing parish with many children.
If a few thees and thous don't put you off, you might enjoy worshipping with them.
I sometimes drive an hour and a half to do so myself.
Susan Peterson
September 11, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Send Bishop Martino a personal, hand-written note expressing your support and encouragement.
Pray through St. John Neumann (another Penn. Bishop who endured humiliation) for Bishop Martino and his intentions.
Something good will come of this, watch and see.
September 12, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Time and again traditional/orthodox priests and bishops are removed-because doing the right thing-serving God.
It seems the more liberal parishes are not going to accept anything contrary to cafeteria catholic ideas. It is a pity and their souls will be the losers
September 13, 2009 at 3:52 pm
WAS ANTHONY EVER A PASSIONIST PRIEST IN UNION CITY NJ?
September 14, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Man, too bad I moved away from the scranton diocese right before he took over, he sounded like a cool bishop. The hatred directed at him just screams his orthodoxy.
I hope the bishop is all right 🙁