Since the pic is black and white I can't tell if that slip of paper the Holy Father is holding is pink or not. From what I've read of the disaster that these guys have made of the Church in Canada, sounds like the Holy Father needs a whole ream of pink slips.

Fr. Philip
PNP, OP | Homepage | 09.11.06 - 9:06 am | #

From what I've been reading about what's been going on in the U.S. (including Mahony's masses), things in the Canadian church isn't nearly as bad as in the U.S.
Perpetua | 09.11.06 - 2:20 pm | #

Uh, no. Not in general, at least.
AmericanPapist | Homepage | 09.11.06 - 2:28 pm | #

Listen,

There are many Canadian Bishops who are rock solid and even visible in that picture (mine is second in at the top of the circle - Bishop Richard Smith).

I'm pretty sure that this is just the Ontario Bishops, but I could be wrong. And there are others in Ontario that are outstanding.

You can bet there is much more tension amongst the individual Bishops themselves than between the Pope and the Ontario Bishops as a whole.
Michael Austen | 09.11.06 - 5:09 pm | #

I don't know for sure, but I've heard that it's both the Ontario and Quebec bishops. However, there's quite enough drama in my archdiocese; who needs to seek out dissent when Bp. Gumbleton is only a few short miles away?
Kasia | Homepage | 09.11.06 - 8:32 pm | #

I can't wait till the U.S. bishops have their ad limina visits. We'll really hear straight talk then. I hope Mahony get a pink slip at that meeting.
Janice | 09.12.06 - 7:00 am | #

I'm an American living in Canada, and I can tell you that, while the Canadian Conference has had its problems, the American Conference is in much worse shape these days. On the whole, the Canadian bishops are of higher quality, my impression is that most of them are "younger" but that could be wrong.

Not that there isn't room for improvement up here as well! I'm just saying as a comparison . . .
Meg Q | Homepage | 09.12.06 - 5:49 pm | #

"You're fired"
Alois | 09.13.06 - 11:11 pm | #

We do have a fair number of young bishops in Canada. Maybe this isn't a bad thing though... the younger ones tend in general to have been formed in larger part by the teachings of Pope John Paul II as he was the pontif during their years of formation.

We certainly could use some more spine in our Chancery Offices but sadly I don't think we're any worse off than the Americans or many of our European Counterparts.

The archdiocese I live in had five men ordained to the priesthood this year and we've had three of our priests become bishops in the past four years...there is hope.
dilexitprior | Homepage | 09.16.06 - 3:31 pm | #