Archbishop Wilton Gregory asked to lead Washington archdiocese | Catholic Herald

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Weserthy said:
Being from this diocese I am a bit leery about this appointment. He’s rather old though (71) so maybe he won’t be there for long and is meant as a holdover for someone younger.
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I also live in this archdiocese and I share your feeling. I am not surprised at the appointment though; we all knew it was going to be a Wuerl/Cupich/Tobin clone that got the job. His support of dissident pro-gay groups does not bode well for orthodox Catholics the area.
 
Yeah I knew the pick wasn’t going to be someone renowned for his orthodoxy. I originally thought it was going to be Bishop McElroy from San Diego, but before Cardinal Wuerl resigned I was pretty confident that he was being saved to take over in Philadelphia when Archbishop Chaput turns 75 later this year. There’s a chance that still happens now.

I don’t foresee any significant change here in terms of dealing with the sex abuse crisis; as you said Archbishop Gregory is one of the most pro-homosexual bishops in the U.S. I actually didn’t mind Cardinal Wuerl; I think he got too much flak for the Pennsylvania report and while he wasn’t at the forefront of the culture wars against gay marriage or abortion, he was still solidly orthodox when it came to Church teaching, and he didn’t actively support pro-gay groups like Archbishop Gregory does. I predict there is a Fr. James Martin visit coming to a parish near you.
 
Weserthy said:
Yeah I knew the pick wasn’t going to be someone renowned for his orthodoxy. I originally thought it was going to be Bishop McElroy from San Diego, but before Cardinal Wuerl resigned I was pretty confident that he was being saved to take over in Philadelphia when Archbishop Chaput turns 75 later this year. There’s a chance that still happens now.

I don’t foresee any significant change here in terms of dealing with the sex abuse crisis; as you said Archbishop Gregory is one of the most pro-homosexual bishops in the U.S. I actually didn’t mind Cardinal Wuerl; I think he got too much flak for the Pennsylvania report and while he wasn’t at the forefront of the culture wars against gay marriage or abortion, he was still solidly orthodox when it came to Church teaching, and he didn’t actively support pro-gay groups like Archbishop Gregory does. I predict there is a Fr. James Martin visit coming to a parish near you.
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McElroy has too much baggage from the McCarrick affair. He failed to report him when reports were made to him about his abuse. Same with the likely second choice, Cardinal Tobin, who was rumored to be getting the job awhile ago. Archbishop Gregory is very much a team player that will tow the company line for Pope Francis and will probably be rewarded with a red hat for his loyalty when Wuerl turns 80 soon.

I agree with you that McElroy is probably destined for Philadelphia later this year though. Archbishop Chaput will be shown the door immediately when he turns 75 and his successor is probably lined up and ready to go.
 
Assuming Archbishop Gregory does not have anything in his past that would cause scandal, then if he is destined to be the first African-American cardinal, Washington is an excellent place to put him as he will be more visible there than in Atlanta.

Next question, who will take over in Atlanta?
 
I haven’t seen a lot of pro dissidence from Archbishop Wilton Gregory.
 
He’ll be an ideal, don’t rock the boat (except maybe among the faithful here and there), middle-management-style bishop. It could be worse.

But the US bishops had come a long way since his presidency of the USCCB in the early 2000s–he (or maybe Skyslad) was really the last in that office who was in the Dearden/Bernadin mold. But like almost everything with Pope Francis, it’s more moving back instead of moving forward…

 
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He has plenty of scandal in his past. According to the Church Militant website, “Gregory has a well-known record for promoting homosexuality, women priests and Holy Communion for the civilly remarried”.

“He was a close ally of disgraced homosexual predator Theodore McCarrick, working closely with him when Gregory was president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2001–2004”.

“Gregory was originally an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of Chicago for 11 years and was a protegé of Cdl. Joseph Bernardin, who actively promoted homosexuality and a “seamless garment” philosophy that saw poverty, joblessness and other social justice issues as weighty as abortion”.

The Pope has been tone deaf about these issues concerning Bishop Gregory and his appointment is a slap in the face to orthodox believing Catholics.
 
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Once again the Church veers to the left under the leadership of Pope Francis.
 
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Archbishop Gregory has been a bishop for 35 years. He would have been originally elected a bishop by St John Paul II, no?
 
Any source besides Church Militant and any examples beyond guilt-by-association?
 
Try Lifesite News (which has the noted Catholic communicator Patrick Coffin amongst it’s members).

In their latest report on Archbishop Gregory they said that : “Along with now defrocked former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Gregory misrepresented the contents of a letter from Cardinal Ratzinger, then the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which counseled American prelates to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion during the 2004 presidential campaign season”.

“More recently, as head of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Gregory has displayed an uncritical willingness to accept LGBT ideology in defiance of the Church’s Magisterium”.

“Gregory has permitted the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to act as a center for LGBT events, including LGBT potluck socials and participating in the city’s Pride Parade. Since 2014, he has also allowed the pro-homosexual and pro-transgenderism “Catholic” group, Fortunate and Faithful Families, to hold retreats in his Atlanta Chancery, while personally saying Mass for the group”.

A Bishop in such a high profile Diocese should be beyond reproach and if these things that have been reported about him are true than I don’t think the Bishop is. Surely the Vatican could have chosen a better prelate for this position.
 
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I don’t trust LifeSiteNews, either, but that gives me a little more insight into the accusation. Thanks.
 
I see, so you don’t trust Patrick Coffin formerly of Catholic Answers, as he was the person who wrote the article that I referenced. Then who do you trust when it comes to Catholic news and current events?
 
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I don’t trust any news source uncritically. I like Coffin most of the time, but not all of the time. I generally go to NCRegister or CNA for Catholic news. I find them more objective and less emotive than LifeSiteNews and Church Militant. I don’t like news stories that are intentionally crafted to toy with my emotions and get a rise out of me.
 
It is probably wise to be cautious in trusting any news source these days but I do not dismiss anything until I have had a chance to evaluate it. You are correct not to condemn their “guilt by association”. But you can also use the “company they keep” to judge their values. I am very disappointed in the Bishop Gregory appointment. It shows no serious resolve in confronting the problems facing our shrinking Church in the US. I continue to financially support my parish, but I am done sending any money to anything further up the food chain.
 
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