Father Robert Bullock, a leader of the Boston Priests Forum and one of the leading liberal priests in Boston, died on Saturday. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
The Boston Globe engages in a bit of hagiography. I prefer not to speak ill of the dead, but I heard plenty of stories from people of how Fr. Bullock ignored the Church’s teachings, leading people astray by telling them that whatever sinful behavior they were engaged in was just fine. And I also believe that he was manipulated by others into being the face of the dissenting priests in Boston, including those who demanded Cardinal Law’s resignation. More significantly, Fr. Bullock was Paul Shanley’s supervisor back in the 1970s, and never did anything about him when Shanley was spouting all kinds of disgusting rhetoric about man-boy sex and homosexuality.
I feel sad he died, but Bullock was not a hero. Is it churlish of me to say so? You decide.
Not churlish at all, Dom. I agree 100%. I think Bob Bullock was misguided, and I think he suffered from the sin of pride. Ultimately, he believed that his teachings were superior to those of Holy Mother Church, and that’s absolutely horrific.
There’s a lot of guys out there (here in the archdiocese) who feel and act the same, but never would admit to it. It’s bad for their own souls, but awful for those who look to them for pastoral guidance.
There’s a presumption on the part of the Globe (and other periodicals) that anyone who has gumption is also heroic, especially if they disagree with the Church’s official positions. They don’t seem to extend the same glamor to those who dissent from, say, the Globe’s teachings, though. Odd.
Dom, I disagree with you.
The thought of this priest dying without a public recantation of his error leaves me terribly sad. It should make us all pause to say: Have mercy Lord.
I think also of Mary and how much she must have loved him and hoped for him to return. Perhaps he did. I hope.
It would have given much solace to believing Catholics if, during his final days, Fr. Bob Bullock would have spoken out to oppose the actions of Fr. Walter Cuenin when Fr. Walter Cuenin, his co-leader in the priests Forum and in Voice of the Faithful, carried out his plans on June 12,2004 to bring his parishioners into the PFLAG-sponsored Gay Pride Celebration and the Interfaith Service to honor the keynote speaker, Bp. Gene Robinson for his role in getting gay marriage approved, then to march together under the Our Lady’s banner with the Jesuit Urban Center(articles in Bay Windows and Chuck Colbert’s in Innewsweekly) to celebrate gay marriage. Because Fr. Bob Bullock never spoke out to object to Fr. Cuenin’s efforts to get Catholics to join the PFLAG way, we are left to conclude that Fr. Bob bullock saw nothing wrong with the PFLAG way, just as he saw nothing wrong with what Fr. Paul Shanley was doing to approve same-sex sex acts when he was in the same office as Fr. Paul Shanley. When the Shanley trial comes up there will be 2 priests who could have given a great deal of witness to what Shanley was up to. One was Fr. John J. White,who was a year behind fr. Bob Bullock in tSt. John’s seminary, who also was Shanley’s co-partner in his ownership of the gay bed and breakfast in Palm Springs,CA. He died last month in Thailand. The other was Fr. Bob Bullock who had been Shanley’s supervisor and close friend from seminary days. How important their teatimony would have been in the Shanley trial will always remain a mystery. God have mercy on them.
Susan,
Where is our disagreement. I said I was sad, too. Are you saying that Bullock was a hero? It doesn’t look like it.
Alice,
In the obituary in today’s Herald, it said the Bullock was a key supporter of the local high school’s gay-straight alliance. He also allowed outwardly homosexual men living together to exercise ministry within his parish.
I’m amazed at how the VOTF types have labeled Bullock as a hero for not being silent, when he was indeed silent at Shanley’s actions. I guess it only matters if he’s railing at the cardinal, not the actual predator.
May he rest in peace. If he is forgiven his sins, then maybe I stand a chance.
Dom, Perhaps we don’t disagree. At first glance I thought you were pleased at his death. (okay, I skimmed the posting) I now understand that all you ask is that he not be called a hero, and isn’t it crazy that he would be called thus? (But we must consider who is naming him that.)
I hope he changed his heart before death. I truly do.