Last year, several bishops made news by upholding the Church’s rules concerning who gets their feet washed on Holy Thursday. The Church has said that the 12 people chosen for the service should be men (viri selecti), to reflect the apostles who were washed by Jesus. Like so much else, this rubric had been generally ignored in most places. But among those reiterating the rule last year was then-Atlanta Archbishop John Donoghue.
That appears to have been a short-lived change. Donoghue’s successor, Archbishop Wilton “the scandal is history” Gregory, has apparently decided that violating the Roman Missal’s rubric is just fine.
Under the former archbishop, Atlanta had garnered a reputation as being a place where orthodox Catholicism was growing. Vocations had increased, traditional devotions were flourishing, the pews were filling. Looks like a new wind is blowing through the South.
Remember when I said that post-Scandal the Vatican was making better episcopal appointments? Never mind.
