Peggy Noonan writes today in the Wall Street Journal on Deal Hudson’s meeting. She says she was neither angry or depressed after the meeting, but she also didn’t know whether any progress had been made or that the bishops got it.
Her remarks at the meeting were on-target, especially her urging of the bishops to divest themselves of their personal fineries and accoutrements of luxury and walk among the people directly. She also told the bishops that the Church in America is demoralized and they must feel demoralized, too, to understand what the average person in the pew is feeling and thinking.
She told them they must take action to end the Scandal as soon as possible and not let it continue to drag on as old allegations surface every day, as she mentioned the priest in Maine who started the gay pornography web site for priests, St. Sebastian’s Angels, and was allowed to stay in his parish for two years after his role in it was revealed. “And so, I said, we must move. “We use buzzy phrases from the drug wars like zero tolerance” for sexual predators, but maybe we should use words that reflect who we are and where we stand—“defrocking,” and “excommunication” being good words that speak of who we are as a church.”
It’s a good column. I hope the bishops took it to heart. At least they heard it spoken to them. The rest is up to them and the Holy Spirit.
I don’t think the luxuries Peggy’s talking about are pontifical Masses. I think she’s hinting at first-class plane tickets, fancy restaurants, big houses, big cars. She’s saying that maybe a taste of how the average person lives might give them a little insight into how those people are thinking and feeling these days.