Have you noticed which groups it is that have criticized the bishops for holding a closed-door retreat for their biannual meeting? Voice of the Faithful, Call to Action, and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Not exactly a litany of faithful, orthodox lay groups. The fact is that most of these people are newcomers to the bishop-watching beat and so they don’t have a historical perspective on what the bishops’ conference meeting is, what goes on there, and which parts are open to the public.
There are a couple of good reasons to use a hotel, Dom: retreat houses and monasteries tend to have little to no security; even the guest rooms often have doors that cannot be locked. I’m pretty sure no monasteries have room for 200 guests, and few retreat houses do.
On the other hand, there’s a very nice, large, and modern retreat/conference center in the mountains NW of Denver where Pope John Paul held one of the WYD events. It might well have been adequate to the task.
At least 1/2 of them should use this occasion to RESIGN, given their hand in the priestly homosexual molestation scandal. But, you know, that would require honor and integrity, charity and prudence, and, oh yes, courage.
For the bishops that we seem to have, a hotel IS a retreat center, Domenic.