Church critics in Cincinnati say Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk doesn’t get it on the Scandal. Now, I won’t dispute that Archbishop Pilarczyk has, like many other bishops, handled the Scandal badly. But some of the complaints against him are strange.
“The archbishop suffers from a lack of personal warmth that would go a long, long way toward assuring people that we’re on the road to some kind of healing,” said Nan Fischer, chairwoman of Voice of the Faithful in Cincinnati.
It seems the archbishop is a calm person who doesn’t get emotional in public.
But he admits his calm demeanor and his focus on procedure and policy might give some people the wrong impression. He does care, he said. He just doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. “I’m not the kind of person who exudes warmth and goodwill,” Pilarczyk said. “That’s just the way I am.”
Is that a primary consideration for good leadership in the Church? Do we need weepy, lip-quivering bishops in the mold of Bill “feel your pain” Clinton or do we need men who keep a clear head and who can empathize without breaking down in an embarrassing display in public? This is just more of the Oprah-ization of our country.
