The Boston Globe covers Archbishop O’Malley’s appointment of a review board for parish closings. It gives us some new details.
For one thing, the two people leading the review said that, while no parish already suppressed or merged will be recommended for re-opening, they could recommend that parishes still scheduled for closing remain open. That means that the people holding sit-ins won’t see their parishes re-established. To be honest, I’d be surprised if Archbishop O’Malley changes his mind on any parish designated for suppression or merging. They were designated for a reason and I doubt any of those reasons have changed, and it would set a bad precedent, making those currently protesting more intransigent in their demands.
I’m sorry, I just can’t think of a single nice thing to say about this move. I doubt that VOTF will complain about the membership of this board.
I assume that they will exceed their mandate, e.g. recommend “Mass without a priest”, and that the Archbishop will eventually shelve most of their report, to the screams and howls of the media. Every time a lay board is convened (USCCB, anyone?), this is the result.