The Vatican made the official announcement today that Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, auxiliary of Detroit, has retired. Gumbleton announced it was coming himself last week. Of course, it doesn’t really change much.
In fact, retirement probably frees him up to do more of his heterodoxy touring, going from place to place and preaching error to all the Call-to-Action types. He may or nor may not continue to be pastor of a parish in the Detroit archdiocese. That’s up to Cardinal Adam Maida.
Really, as an auxiliary bishop Gumbleton had no real power, except the power of the bully pulpit. While retaining the office of bishop, even a retired one, he retains that pulpit until the day he dies.
Technorati Tags: bishops, Catholic, dissent, heterodoxy
So…would that be ‘formal heterodoxy touring’, or just ‘material heterodosy touring’??
Yeah, Bishop Gumbleton is coming to Memphis to give a talk at Christian Brothers University to inaugurate a peace studies program in memory of a former professor (a former Dominican priest) who died a year or so ago. I fear that he might be more dangerous retired than as an active auxillary. I predict his involvement as an advocate for the “gay and lesbian” community will increase, as will his criticism of the Church and the Holy Father. Aren’t there any cloistered communities under a vow of silence that he couldn’t be chaplain to? But, seriously, if he were truly humble and was genuinely concerned about the poor and oppressed, might he not volunteer for the missions in Africa or South America? Not a chance.