Washington, D.C. (officially) gets a liberal archbishop

4/4 UPDATE: It's now official. The problems that have plagued the Archdiocese of Washington will most likely pale in comparison to what is coming next. And with this See being the political capital of the world, with an enormous pulpit and microphone, the effects of this disastrous appointment will be felt well beyond the Beltway. Wilton Gregory will make Donald Wuerl sound like Raymond Burke.
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Original post [3/28/19]

The good news is the next archbishop of Washington, D.C., is not Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Tobin or Bishop McElroy.  The bad news is, according to Catholic News Agency, the new archbishop will be Wilton Gregory.

A disciple of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Gregory is not just liberal on some things; rather, he is liberal on everything.

On abortion.

On natural law and the traditional family.

On dissident priests.

On the translations of the novus ordo.

Even on dressing for the beach at Mass.

Wuerl I, Wuerl II and Wuerl III

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Donald Cardinal Wuerl as archbishop of Washington, nearly three years after Wuerl submitted it upon turning 75.

Far from a dismissal or firing of any kind, Wuerl and Francis managed to turn the action into a retirement party.  In the pope's "beautiful letter" (Wuerl's words this morning in a 6:09 a.m. listserv email) to the outgoing archbishop, Wuerl was praised by Francis:

"You have sufficient elements to 'justify' your actions and distinguish what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes. However your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this I am proud and thank you."

The Archdiocese of Washington has created a tribute page to Cardinal Wuerl, highlighting all of the archbishop's accomplishments and defending his reputation.  All that is missing is the presentation of a gold watch during a luncheon to celebrate such a successful career heading into retirement.

All Roads Lead to Washington, D.C.

For those interested in the latest news, we bring you our summary:

1) Bishop Michael Bransfield resigned and the resignation was accepted.  Bransfield served for 24 years at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., most of the time as rector. He was then ordained a bishop, choosing Theodore McCarrick as co-consecrator.

2) Archbishop William Lori, who ran the Archdiocese of Washington (D.C.) throughout the 1990s (holding several high-level positions, including moderator of the curia and auxiliary bishop), will investigate allegations against Bishop Bransfield.  During Bransfield's time at the D.C. basilica shrine, Lori had oversight over Bransfield.  (For instance, the Washington chancery instructs which bishops -- and even cardinals -- are banned from offering sacraments at the basilica shrine, a practice that still continues).

3) All this follows the scandal of Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of Washington, who handpicked his successor in D.C., Donald Wuerl.  The two men were the leaders of the movement to give Communion to politicians who openly dissent from Church teachings.

4) Cardinal Donald Wuerl has announced he will be going to the Vatican to discuss his resignation, which implies it will soon be accepted by Pope Francis.  Not mentioned yet is Wuerl's membership on the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, where Pope Francis chose him to replace Cardinal Raymond Burke just nine months into this papacy.  Two Americans sit on the extremely prestigious congregation that selects all new bishops -- Cardinal Blase Cupich being the other.

Cardinal Wuerl's resignation

Donald Cardinal Wuerl submitted his letter of resignation as archbishop of Washington.

Of course, this was done on 12 November 2015, when Wuerl turned 75 years old, as required by the new code of canon law.  Wuerl has been archbishop since 2006, when he replaced his friend and ally, Theodore McCarrick, in the position.

At the time of his hand-delivered letter of resignation, nearly three years ago, Wuerl told Religion News Service:  "Now if the Holy Father were to accept it tomorrow, I would be well-prepared to take time to write, to read, to pray a lot more."

The relevant code of canon law (401) for resignations at the age of 75 says:  "A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances."

New Bishop Uses Old Office

We are not sure how on earth this slipped through the vetting process of the Archdiocese of Washington, but it is quite refreshing to see.

Congratulations to Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fisher!

Early priest mentors inspire new bishop 

When new Washington Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fisher prays during the course of the day, he often holds in his hand and uses an old breviary once owned by his great uncle, Father Cornelius Buckley, who was a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut.

“He must have smoked cigars,” he said of the priest, whom he never met. Some of the pages are stained with tar, he explained. 

A new, friendly bishop in Virginia -- and a loss of influence for Cardinal Wuerl?

For over a year, our readers in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, where the traditional Latin Mass has flourished under Summorum Pontificum, have anxiously awaited the replacement of their current ordinary, Bishop Paul Loverde. Loverde is no lover of tradition, but he did, after 2007, finally get with the program, facing an onslaught of young, traditional-minded priests who were taking matters into their own hands. 

The anxiety came from the pervasive conventional wisdom that Cardinal Donald Wuerl would handpick the next bishop in the diocese that neighbors the Archdiocese of Washington. But with the announcement this morning that the bishop of Raleigh, North Carolina, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will be installed in Arlington, the question is: Has Wuerl lost his influence? 

Our readers may know that Bishop Burbidge has, by most standards, embraced Summorum Pontificum in his diocese. 

Bishop Burbidge confirms youth in the traditional Latin rite.

"The Law of the Land is the Law of the Land" -- Except When It Actually Isn't and Couldn't Possibly Be

The Hireling

Spreading like wildfire through all the media is the "conciliatory" and "moderate" language of Cardinal Wuerl, as reported in a July 5 article:

“The law of the land is the law of the land,” says Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl. “We certainly follow what the law says. That doesn’t mean we change the word of God. That doesn’t mean we change the scriptures, or the church’s millennia-long tradition of what marriage is.” [link]

In one sense, this is hardly surprising; we have seen the same Cardinal take a soft line towards pro-abortion politicians who abuse the Most Blessed Sacrament by receiving It despite their notorious, persistent public dissent from immutable teaching on faith and morals. At the same time, however, it should shock us profoundly, as one more instance of a shepherd abandoning the crystal-clear teaching of the Church. The greatest witness to this teaching is, of course, the Angelic Doctor, who writes:

Cardinal Wuerl attacks "brother bishops" as "dissenters"

It is an open secret in Washington, D.C., that Donald Cardinal Wuerl has effectively banned Raymond Cardinal Burke from entering the Archdiocese of Washington.  Several sources have confirmed this to Rorate over the years, stemming from Wuerl's disdain for any priest or bishop who opposes giving Communion to Catholics who publicly dissent from Church teachings.

Since Summorum Pontificum was issued by Benedict XVI in 2007, Cardinal Wuerl has instituted numerous obstacles to priests who wish to offer the traditional Latin Mass and sacraments using the 1962 books.  Traditional confirmations have been denied, even requests from priests offering to administer the sacrament themselves.  A letter from a one's bishop or superior detailing the liturgical skill set of a priest wishing to offer Low Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is required for any celebrant there.  Traditional Latin Masses offered at parishes not designated by the Archdiocese as TLM-approved sites are prohibited from being publicized.  (Washington, D.C. is full of private Low and even High Masses not listed on church websites or bulletins.) And, of course, the second annual Mass on the anniversary of the installation of Benedict XVI was canceled at the last minute, despite months of planning and preparations made.

Donald Wuerl was the most powerful American dissenter to the restorations led by Pope Benedict.

With a more like-minded Holy Father now in power, suddenly Cardinal Wuerl has become a papal Marine, most recently with a blog post blasting "brother bishops who are less than enthusiastic about Pope Francis" as "dissenters":