A retired auxiliary bishop who reportedly has worn a mitre with a pink triangle and a rainbow ribbon on it has publicly gone against the words of Archbishop Allen Vigneron who recently said that those opposing the Church’s teaching on gay marriage should not present themselves for Communion.
This is shocking and will ultimately prove confusing for many Catholics…
April 15, 2013 at 3:17 pm
How is this Bishop not excommunicated?
April 15, 2013 at 3:17 pm
The devil might be preparing a special place in hell for Bishop Bumbleton.
April 15, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Does the current bishop have the authority to silence him or even excommunicate him for willful disobedience? Why do these people who don't like Catholic teaching insist on calling themselves Catholic?
April 15, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Canon 1364 §1 An apostate from the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae
excommunication, without prejudice to the provision of Canon 194 §1, n. 2; a cleric, moreover,
may be punished with the penalties mentioned in Canon 1336 §1, nn. 1, 2 and 3.
April 15, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Romulus, who cares what the cannon says on "unofficial excommunication". The Church still gives him the title of Bishop. So, as long as he has this title in the church he will always be considered a Catholic. Thus, all the confusion.
April 15, 2013 at 5:32 pm
"This is shocking and will ultimately prove confusing for many Catholics…"
Well, the ones who didn't like what Archbishop Vigneron said will just smile knowingly and continue down the easy, wide path.
Even the faithful Catholics won't be confused. Angry, yes; confused, no. Archbishop Vigneron won't correct the retired bishop. That's the confusing part.
April 15, 2013 at 6:23 pm
It is canon 1369 that should be applied ASAP:
Can. 1369 A person who in a public show or speech, in published writing, or in other uses of the instruments of social communication utters blasphemy, gravely injures good morals, expresses insults, or excites hatred or contempt against religion or the Church is to be punished with a just penalty.
April 15, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Sadly, many Bishops and priests would satisfy the requirements for this canon to be invoked.
April 15, 2013 at 6:44 pm
Anon at 11:12 said: "The Church still gives him the title of Bishop."
One should clarify here that the ontological character of the episcopate of Thomas Gumberton is not something that can be removed, even by apostasy. He can spend the rest of his days in a Gaea commune and yet remain, ontologically, a Catholic bishop.
What is under the Church's disciplinary jurisdiction is his remaining in the clerical state or receiving some other penalty (interdict or suspension of faculties) for a canonical crime. That his statements have, repeatedly, brought "contempt against the Church" in the person of the Archbishop or other defined teachings or dogmas would, I submit, be beyond question. Some public censure is required to address his public & canonically criminal statements.
April 15, 2013 at 9:00 pm
This is the watershed moment for Vigneron. If he fails or refuses to discipline Gumbleton for such public opposition, then he is no better than Dolan, Wuerl, et al: All hat, no cattle, not even a veal calf!
The same also could be said for Pope Francis.
And people wonder why Catholicism is falling apart….
April 16, 2013 at 2:46 am
Why did I know this was Gumby before I followed the link to the full story?
April 16, 2013 at 6:34 am
Clergy like this should be disciplined by the Vatican! This kind of acting out in public and putting your own ego needs ahead of Church teaching is what confuses people in the pews!
April 16, 2013 at 4:02 pm
This retired Bishop needs to either be released of his priestly duties or have another Penalty placed against him and if that does not work than just go ahead and excommunicate him since he is causing confusion and scandal and will not obey Archbishop Vigneron . This is MODERNISM plain and simple and if this bishop is not punished or penalized at all in any way the signal will come that this lifestyle is Okay.
April 16, 2013 at 6:31 pm
Then again, why did Gumbleton believe he could get away with making such a statement? Because neither JPII nor BXVI confronted episcopal malfeasance forthrightly during their combined 35 years in the papacy!!
Just look at Wuerl.
I'm just sayin'…..
April 16, 2013 at 10:54 pm
Is it possible for an Ordinary to remove the faculties of another bishop
that is under his authority? We have the example of Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles and his recent decision to forbid retired Cardinal
Mahoney all public exercise of his ministry. Such a step wouldn't be
taken lightly, but it's still a possibility Archbishop Vigneron could end
up doing so with Bishop Gumbleton. I'm sure Canon Law has very
exacting requirements that must be met before such a sanction could
be imposed.
Bishop Gumbleton would naturally gain an even bigger audience once
he could be promoted as some sort of martyr to the meanies in the
hierarchy. He's still an American citizen with freedom of speech– he
would doubtless continue to peddle his errors. But at least he couldn't
do so as a bishop– no public Masses, no hearing confessions, no
preaching as a bishop. It might be the thing to do… but then, I'm
not a bishop (a fact for which we should all be grateful).
April 21, 2013 at 4:28 am
yeah… I think it stinks.
but then again, a fellow "Catholic" showed up with the button, "Catholic and for Gay Marriage" and I realized I didn't want to correct him because I liked, for good reason, being friends and friendly with my neighbors….
so he was willing to "bravely" stand in total heresy, while I was willing to do nothing and hope someone, like, say, a bishop, would stand up and teach and witness.
so… when I find the courage, who will back me? to what cost? and shouldn't we go ahead and ask that of ourselves even while we feel such grave and justified disappointment in our appointed leaders?
God help us all.
kim