cambalache
5. m. Arg., Par. y Ur. prendería. ("Store in which used goods, objects, or pieces of furniture are bought and sold.")
Cambalache, of course, is the name of a famous tango by Enrique Santos Discepolo (the one that, after criticizing life in the twentieth century, mentions "la Biblia junto al calefón", a Bible near the water heater, in a shop of used goods). And, we sadly have to admit, it often seems that many Bishops are chosen not from regular ternas, but from actual cambalaches of candidates.
Many have generally been - rightly - critical of the trend, in recent decades, of making Metropolitan Archbishops truly careerist positions which can only be reached by those who have been previously non-Metropolitan Bishops elsewhere. This particularly because it is well-known that so many good priests were named directly as heads of great Metropolitan Sees: to name just two 20th century examples, among several, Blessed Ildefonso Schuster, previously an abbot, in Milan, and the reigning Pontiff himself, a priest and professor, in Munich-Freising.
So it was with good expectation that one could see the nomination of a priest directly to a Metropolitan See in Argentina, last week: but, alas, the chosen man was Monsignor Alfredo Zecca, former President of the (not exactly orthodox) Universidad Católica Argentina, named Archbishop of Tucumán. (Image gently found in Spanish blog La Cigüeña.)
Mons. Zecca is a spiritual son, close disciple and follower of Cardinal Bergoglio - not exactly a friend of Traditional-minded Catholics -, and, naturally, did nothing to stem serious problems in his University. This comes soon after the unbelievable nomination of François Fonlupt as Bishop of Rodez (in the Aveyron region of France) - more at Valle Adurni and reaction at Catholic Oasis.
Mons. Zecca is a spiritual son, close disciple and follower of Cardinal Bergoglio - not exactly a friend of Traditional-minded Catholics -, and, naturally, did nothing to stem serious problems in his University. This comes soon after the unbelievable nomination of François Fonlupt as Bishop of Rodez (in the Aveyron region of France) - more at Valle Adurni and reaction at Catholic Oasis.
Yes, Bp. Zecca is one of those... He was the rector of the Buenos Aires Seminary for several years before nominated Rector of the University.
ReplyDeleteAs Seminary Rector, he was very political (he was actually named to that position by already passed away Card. Quarracino, Archbishop of Buenos Aires). At that time we thought he was "conservative". No, he wasn't. He was (and he is) a VERY political minded clergy, that made a "career".
During that time, you only could be ordained if you were under his wing, in an ideological meaning. One thing he didn't like (a good one!): the "gay" gang. He disliked them so much. But don't get me wrong, he LOVES all the heterodox theologians you can imagine (he actually had his doctorate in Germany and is very fond at those ultra-progressive, protestant minded "theologians").
He continued the same trend once named rector of Universidad de Buenos Aires, where he has enthroned all types of heterodoxies and heterodox-minded people.
He is a special "son" of Card. Bergoglio, another very disgraceful clergy in power nowadays in Buenos Aires.
Oh, and if you are curious, after him, Bergoglio named a Rector of the Seminary back to the "gay" gang (one that is today bishop of a minor Diocese in Argentina).
Zecca continued his career from that on, and hasn't stopped yet.
To his benefit, I would say that although the picture is true, he usually dresses with clerical T-shirt and suit.
M.M.
Zecca is named to be in the first place as succesor of Bergoglio in Bs. As. Please HELP! Someone send a letter to Cardinal Burke who is a member of the Congregation for Bishops!
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