25 August 2009

Ad Limina: A Powerful Weapon

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Is this a summer cold or swine flu? I've no idea. Pray for me, please.

A Roman correspondent has sent me a fascinating message about the results of the last Ad Limina visit. There is a story, that you either know or you don't, about the Bishop who was sure he was going to get Southwark: so sure that he'd packed his Library.

Now, the reason he didn't was that in the lead up to the visit, one of his flock had sent to the Congregation for Bishops evidence that the Bishop had done something wrong, and this was enough to stop his translation.

Because what the Congregation responds to is evidence, not assertion: if the Bishop has written to a person or group saying (for example) "you can only have an EF Mass if there are 50 parishioners", then you've got him; if you say "I know the Bishop isn't in favour of EF Mass" then you haven't. If you can show that a Diocese has sent £250K to an organisation that supports anti-Catholicsm, then you've got it; if you assert that "My Bishop doesn't support Catholic teaching on sex education" then you haven't.

This is the way to do it.

So let's do it.

2 comments:

Ches said...

[Rubbing hands]. I have little confidence in the clergy, in Rome or anywhere else, but it's worth a shot. There is no other way for a Catholic.

Mulier Fortis said...

Off topic, but you've been tagged for a meme.

Oh go on. You know you want to...