The More I Read About Him, The More I Like Him
An interesting choice of words

I cruised over to the official website for the Diocese of Raleigh and read the statement of the incoming bishop.

What caught my attention immediately was Bishop Burbidge's photo, it shows him holding a biretta. Rare, indeed. A few years ago, a cleric with a biretta was commonplace. Present day, a cleric with one is sending a none too subtle signal.

But I'm not going to bet the farm on someone who simply wears headgear that was commonplace in the pre-Vatican II Church.

Anything out of the ordinary from Bishop Burbidge? And by 'out of the ordinary' in this diocese, it means that any given cleric actually acts, even just a little, like a Catholic priest.

His somewhat long official statement was pretty much what I expected... lot's of "it's great to be coming to Raleigh... the outgoing bishop sure is a swell guy", etc, etc. Pretty standard stuff. OK, I can deal with that.

But then I came across "...my mission as the bishop of the Diocese is clear: the proclamation of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. With the Lord's help, I hope to serve without counting the cost and to preach with clarity, conviction and compassion. To accomplish this mission, I will need and depend upon my brother priests and their close collaboration."

Wow! That knocked me out of my chair. Is it just me, or has Bishop Burbidge essentially said that he's all about saving souls and not saving society? I also noticed that he was speaking directly to the priests of this diocese. Not to whacky nuns in stretch pants. Not to self-ordained member of the laity. He didn't use code words like "special gifts of women religious and lay Catholics who will lead the Church forward".

Maybe I'm reading into this, but I get the distinct impression that he's telling the diocesan priests; "boys, it's time to start conducting yourselves like Catholic priests and not ecumenical social workers" (if you've spent any time in this diocese, you'd know what I'm referring to).

Why do I get the feeling that this bishop is laying down the law?

Then I read the rather terse statement by the outgoing bishop. It seemed to me that Bishop Gossman was searching for things to say. At one point, he even listed portions of Bishop Burbidge's resume. What the hell was that all about? But here's what really got me while reading Bishop Gossman's statement concerning the new bishop; "... in the brief conversations I have had with him...".

Hold on. Bishop Gossman, you're stepping aside after THIRTY ONE YEARS as the bishop of this diocese. You've been the longest running bishop of an American diocese in the history of the Catholic Church in America. And the best you can do for the man who is about to take your place is "brief conversations"?

Hmmmm... why do I get the feeling that Bishop Burbidge is much like Daniel headin' on into the lions den?