Archbishop Wenski delivers a deserved rebuke to a fellow bishop

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jun 24, 2016

When a priest criticizes a bishop by name, that's unusual. But when one American bishop criticizes another, in a public statement, that's nearly unprecedented. 

Writing for Catholic World Report, Father Mark Pilon has explained why Bishop Lynch should be forced to resign his Office, after his appalling statement in the wake of the Orlando shootings, suggesting that the Catholic faith shared the blame. 

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami was gentler in his criticism. Rather than scolding Bishop Lynch by name, he spoke of "a bishop who should know better." But the importance of the rebuke is greater-- not least because Archbishop Wenski is metropolitan of the region in which the St. Petersburg diocese (which Bishop Lynch heads) is located. When one bishop makes an outrageous public statement, his brother bishops have a duty to correct the record, to avert confusion among the faithful. Unfortunately, such public corrections are rare. All the more reason to thank Archbishop Wenski in this case.

By the way, Bishop Lynch celebrated his 75th birthday last month, and under the terms of canon law was obliged to submit his resignation. The ball is now in the Vatican's court.