Just proves the old adage foul up, move up.

Wonderful! There really is a God. It appears that he was bucking for the position and he got it. Now most of my Catholic relatives can rejoice, he’s gone.

Congratulations to Raymond Burke.I think as a Catholic that he was doing his job to uphold the rules of the Catholic Church.Someone must!

I am far from AB Burke’s biggest fan, but even I have to acknowledge he is an excellent lawyer. I think Pope Benedict was wise to appoint AB Burke to the Catholic High Court, he will make a much better judge than minister to the flock of St. Louis.

I hope the next Arch Bishop here is chosen more for his ability to tend to the souls of parishioners than his iron handed adherence to the letter of Cannon law. Perhaps then the local Catholic churches would start gaining members rather than alienating them.

His departure means unity and healing. His successor has very little shoes to fill. Most Catholics would be open to someone that walks in with a heart and smaller ego.

Now he can sit on some kangaroo court in Rome and tell couples who are applying for annulments to send more $$$$$$$$.

He really was a PR nightmare for the catholic church in STL.

I think it is time to shake the dust from our feet from this “church” Burke aspired to create for us, and begin praying the church appoints a Good Shepherd, whose calling it is to find and bring back lost sheep, not exclude and condemn them.

It is a difficult position to be the face of the Church and to stand up for it in times of adversity. Burke never backed down from Catholic doctrine which is what makes our Church the Catholic Church.

Do I agree with the reasons that Burke has come out and said the things he said? Yes. Do I feel it was in the most loving, compassionate way? Mmmm, I don’t know. But I believe in the teachings of the Church and I also believe that Burke upheld them without backing down.

My best wishes to Burke and I ask that all people, Catholic or not, to pray for our newly appointed shepard of our diocese.

Burke will fit right in with that nazi of a pope… the Catholic church is headed in a downward spiral anyways… good riddance to Burke and may he rot in hell right next to Adolph Hitler and Ronald Reagan

Since now he will certainly become a Cardinal, maybe he will become the next Pope!

It is a sad day for St. Louis to lose our good and holy Archbishop, but great for Holy Mother Church. Please pray for Archbishop Burke as he takes his new position in Rome. Also, pray that his successor upholds the standards that Archbishop Burke has set and continues to show strong leadership for our Church here in St. Louis. God bless Archbishop Burke! Deo Gratias!

This is a good thing for the Church in general but very sad for St. Louis. It was wonderful to have an archbishop who stood up for what is right. I would be ashamed to have a leader here who thought nothing of giving Communion to those who publicly advocate abortion, all in the name of good “PR.” The Catholic faith is not about PR! It does not “condemn” anyone, but offer grace and mercy to those who desire it. If some of these cafeteria Catholics want to go somewhere where any and all behavior is acceptable, they are free to do so. I hope Archbishop Burke’s successor will be as holy and devout as he is.

On some church issues I think he went overboard. Yet, technically he was absolutely correct. He didn’t have a diplomatic way about him. He acted just like a lawyer. Bad for a Archdiocese Bishop to act like a lawyer. Let the lawyers be lawyers.
This Archdiochese needs a healer right now. Bring back St. Stanislaus into the fold and slowly work to regain control of the parrish. Not necessarily to own it like Burke wanted, but to use it to the Archdiocese advantage as all parrishes should be used for the better good of all Catholic parrishes.

Burke seems money hungry too. The new bishop needs to work on unifiy the churches before reaching into the parishiners pockets. Money will come as church goers see a new path of communication being established between parrish members and the archbishop.

I think this is clearly a move by the Vatican to remove a negative element from the archdiocese and repair the damage he’s (Burke) has done.

This is such a sad day for the ArchDiocese of St. Louis…the ArchBishop was a good and Holy man, not a PR expert. He didn’t compromise the teachings of Christ to be PC, he didn’t water teaching down for the low morals of the flock in his diocese, he instead challenged the faithful to live up to their faith.

I pray that the Holy Father replaces the ArchBishop with someone who is as Holy and strong of a shepherd as we have been blessed to have had for the past five years.

Thank you and good luck in your new assignment ArchBishop Burke!!!

I find it odd that we catholics are “ashamed” of a candidate that is pro-choice, yet we see no problem with voting for a candidate that has invaded another nation resulting in over 100,000 dead and maimed.

Someone with a little (no, a lot) more compassion. Someone who is able to compromise and not bully people. At this point, just about anyone else would look better than what we’ve had. I guess his heart is in the right place but he just does not know how to work and play well with others.

To PBR:
RONALD REAGON?
The pope is a NAZI?

Wow, your hatred is really miss guided. Reagon will go down as one of our most beloved and successfull presidents. The holy father is NO NAZI. FACT.

Please guide your hatred to our enemies and the devil.

Jesus warned that the world would hate those who would follow him. Judging from the comments here, it seems our archbishop was doing a pretty good job. Those who have written such ugly things about him abviously never got to know the man. St. Louis is losing a wise and good pastor. May we receive our next Archbishop with more respect and love.

I’m sure the media will be finding all the wrong people (Catholics who reject the teachings of the Church) to talk to about this, so let us pray too for the Archbishop as he endures the venom, the ingratitude, the glee over his departure that will now undoubtedly come his way.

It is never easy to stand up for what you know is right. Our beloved Archbishop has shown us the strength and leadership to not only proclaim but live a holy life, regardless of the personal toll. In today’s world where everything is geared towards pleasing the senses, materialism and comfort it takes a strong spiritual leader to show his flock the true meaning of putting one’s spoken beliefs into practice. God bless Archbishop Burke in his new position and send us another strong and selfless leader.

The archbishop had lost much pastoral effectiveness. He himself acknowledged that he was better at canon law than at public relations. He is headed where his talents can be better used. A holy and humble man, yet he could not project a compassionate, pastoral image. Hopefully his successor will be able to project the image of a caring pastor.

The Halleluia chorus just sang louder!

Good riddance to Burke! He has divided Catholics in St. Louis and our surrounding once-devoted community and made Catholism APPEAR to be just about money and property ownership to non-Catholics (funny, huh?) Ironic that he will now be the highest judicial person in the church in Rome considering how he’s trying to break a very OLD, legally binding agreement between St. Stanislaus and the church! Hmmmm… the “right” person to uphold all things legal for Catholism? NOT! Yes, someone needs to uphold traditions but there is also compassion that Jesus showed to sinners and the poor. Burke just trampled them for his own personal glory. Very sad day for Catholics.

Why more misogyny, guilt-tripping, hiding their accounting books in Rome, supporting child molesters tax free and encouraging folks to breed who can’t afford more kids, of course!

Qualities in the successor? Why less of the above of course. Don’t hold your breath.

God, I forgot the closet homosexual behaviors while denying gay rights!

Note to Cindy:

I would like to enlighten you in regards to the Church’s “OLD, legally binding agreement” with St. Stanislaus. If actual research would be conducted, you would find that St. Stanislaus actually went AGAINST that agreement and were given numerous chances to return back to it. So before you start pointing fingers and blaming the Church, maybe you should realize that St. Stanisluas isn’t as innocent as you (and the media) make it out to be.

Wait…I thought Burke was GOD…how can you send GOD away when STL needs it the most. Oh…a little nun is whispering in my ear…HE thought he was GOD…never mind…

I think that most of you who are happy that Archbishop Burke is leaving are under the impression that the Catholic church is a democracy. He was doing his job. You cannot fault him for that even if you disagree. In fact if you disagree, you are free to worship someplace else.

Burke did a fair job of driving out some of the “log cabin” Catholics. We need another like him to finish the job and drive out the rest of the phonies. There are far too many Catholics in name only taking up space in the churches. You want a greater role for women in the church, join another church! Support a candidate without an official imprimatur, join another church. Buy into the whole program or not at all. Calling yourself Catholic otherwise is just plain hypocracy. FATHER KNOWS BEST.

After reading all of the post, it leaves me wondering if all of you talking about rules and regulation aren’t the most confused Catholics. Do rules and regulation really inter into religion?? Not mine.

Please note that there are suddenly two Tom’s again. I guess I need to change my name on here after this long.

So does this mean that Burke could be presiding over the hearing to laicize Fr. Marek? Or is that duty performed by a different group?

G.K.Chesterson said “I don’t need a Chruch to tell me I’m wrong when I know I’m wrong. I need a Chruch to tell me I’m wrong when I think I’m right.” Archbishop Burke understood his role as bishop to protect and teach his flock according to the defined teachings of the Catholic Church, and to tell many of us we were wrong when we thought we were right. He was persecuted and hated by some because of this, but he had the courage to do what a bishop is required to do, again to teach, protect, and defend the defined teachings of the Church. When he first arrived in St. Louis, a reporter ask him “are you a liberal or a conservative bishop?” Archbishop Burke answered “I am a Catholic Bishop”. We pray that his successor will be a “Catholc Bishop”.

Bob Keeney

Gene’s comment is right-on. Burke is a good and godly man unable to project the image of who he truly is because of his belief that church law, in which he is an expert, can be used to solve human problems. PBR’s charge that Pope Benedict XVI is a “Nazi” is preposterous. His policeman-father took early retirement to protest Hitler. In his 1999 autobiography, “Milestones”, then Cardinal Ratzinger writes about the Nazis with biting sarcasm. — ST. LOUIS PRIEST

Burke did a poor job here in St Louis. Hopefully he will find his calling in Rome. The good news for St Louis is no matter who we get he won’t be worse.

Being an Archbishop is about being a pastor to people— not sitting in an ivory tower with a rule book.

Gina’s comment (above) says it all. We’re looking for a fair, honest, holy leader who is comfortable enough with himself to serve St. Louis with an open mind and a kind heart.

The Archbishop is a highly regarded canon lawyer, and his new appointment plays directly to that strength. I wish him well in his new role, and thank him for his service to us in St. Louis. I am confident the Holy Father, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will send us a shepherd that will lead and serve us well.

How can it be said that a man who lives in such an opulant ivory tower surrounded by sycophantic bootlicking yes men is persecuted? In all his time here, did he ever once get the soles of his shoes dirty? The very nature of the organization is that he is right and everyone under him must abide. the man has never shown an iota of self doubt. He believes he is God ordained. He lives by the maxim, if God is with you, what does it matter whom is against you? I seriously doubt he ever gave a second thought to any criticism directed his way from people he thinks are going to spend eternity in the fires of eternal damnation.

I am shocked by these comments from all of you in STL. I have not lived in the city for over 15 years but I have kept up on the Catholic church situation and Raymond Burke in STL. This is a great man! He is a priest who speaks the truth about the teachings of our church and of Jesus Christ. If you do not like it - leave!
I am tired of hearing complaints about the things that AB Raymond Burke did. What he has been doing is right. All Catholic politicians, famous people, etc. should not be spouting anti-Catholic rhetoric. If you are pro-death, pro-gay, pro-fetal stem cell research and if you are in the public eye, you should not voice your ideas as a Catholic. Deal with those things between you and God. And do not tell me that I have to accept them in my coutry or church.
You all do not know what you had with him being the AB of such a great diocese. Check out churches in other diocese to see what is happening. We are being overtaken by the devil, and nobody cares.
I applaud this great priest. I am also tickled to see that you think that this is the last you have heard from Burke. What do you think about Pope Raymond Burke?

This is exciting news! Archbishop Burke has been a faithful bishop giving St. Louis the truth of the Church.

The state of the Church in St. Louis is better off today than it was when His Grace arrived a few years ago. This former liberal (anti-Catholic) movement that has swept through the Chruch since the 1970ies is dead! The Archdiocese is a stronger, more faithful See than it was when he arrived.

He is a holy man doing what Our Lord has called him to do. I look forward to meeting our next Archbishop. May he be as faithful as His Grace, Arhcbishop Burke.

Its exciting that with his new appointment His Grace can continue what he started here in St. Louis. What is really cool about this is, NOW he is REALLY IS the final word!

Catholics in St. Louis…Straighten up!

I wonder if Bishop Zipfel has a chance to be the next Archbishop. He is a good man and good with people…

Most of the complaints I have read about Archbishop Burke center around the obvious fact that he is a Catholic teaching Catholic Doctrine. People who have criticized him are largely Catholic in name only, their heart is really not in or with the Church, they lack an informed conscience. Largely unbeknownst to these critics, they are doing today and have done what a like minded group did in the 1500s. Nothing is new!!
Thank you Archbishop Burke, a great Wisconsin farm boy who became a great leader in a great Church headed by a Great Bavarian Pope. The Church will go on and the Saint Louis Archdiocesan Church will prosper because of leaders like Archbishop Burke.

I hope that whoever is called, they will continue Burkes tradition of taking a strong stand against what I’d refer to as “popular sins”. Burke was no PR genius, he understood that people should be reminded that the Church views certain activities as sins. Being reminded shouldn’t be considered Authoritarian. In the Catholic Churhc its very important that one understands when they sin and be truly penatent for it. I can’t imagine how many Catholics break the holy tradition of Communion by quietly defying the teachings of the Church. Burke served as a rather blunt instrument to remind the flock of the tennants of the faith. His tenure brought this Protestant very close to conversion.

I wonder how many negative posters on here ae Catholics that don’t truly understand their faith. Moreso I wonder how many negative posts are from non-Catholics that have no religious bone in the hunt but hate him do to political views. Both situations are ashame.

I would hope that whomever replaces Archbishop Burke be a little more diplomatic and media-savvy in his dealings with important issues. I also hope that his replacement maintains the exact policies regarding St. Stans and Pro-Choice Catholic politicians. Burke suffered from an image problem but he was doing exactly what he needed to do.

We LOVE you, Your Grace, Arhcbishop Burke! Thank you for teaching Jesus loves us!

AB Burke has done a great job–that so many people think otherwise is perhaps confirmation of that fact. Someone once said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.”

It is pleasing that AB Burke will now head what is in effect the Supreme Court of the Catholic Church. The only downside to this is that the Church in St. Louis will lose a great pastor.

As one other note, PBR goes to prove how truly hateful, spiteful, and truly worse the far-left is compared to the far right. How many “I’m glad he’s dead” and “Rot in hell”’s did you see from conservatives regarding George Carlin, or how many ill wishes there were for Senator Kennedy? The far left may be abrasive to a negative degree, but at least in the end they realize we’re all humans with different opinions. The far-left clearly is just inhuman and despicable, seeking only to condemn. They’ve become just as judgemental as the Catholic Church was in the Dark Ages. I’d imagine that someone like PBR would torture and kill conservatives because he they are “evil”.

No wonder the public discourse is so bad these days.

This is a much better role for him. He essentially tried to do this role as an archbishop, and disillusioned many Catholics in the process (myself included). As a Catholic under his rule, I really despised his leadership and often found myself questioning how I could be a part of such an intolerant religion. I don’t think Catholicism really is so intolerant, but he sure made it feel that way here. Now he can focus on the “big issues” that make their way to the supreme court, with day to day issues hopefully being handled by someone who isn’t so out of touch with today’s world.

I still have issues with a church that puts people like him in a leadership position, but at least now he’ll be further removed from my day-to-day Catholic life. Of course, who knows what the next Archbishop will be like, but I can’t imagine anyone being worse than Burke.

Archbishop Ray Burke is an outstanding American Churchman who shows that Love of God which true Christians know as Charity and his actions reflect the “Splendor of Truth” which could only emanate from The Word Himself. His departure for The Vatican will mean that Saint Louis will no longer have this one great apostle of Our Lord Jesus who Pope John Paul II gave as His special gift and legacy. We must pray that His Successor will have that same degree of Faith, Hope and Love, as well as Fortitude, Piety and Wisdom with which Almighty God has endowed this Archbishop. Long live Raymond Leo Burke!

How odd that two of the top stories are about “AB” items.
Just a note…be careful what you wish/pray for…

Archbishop Ray Burke is an outstanding American Churchman who shows that Love of God which true Christians know as Charity and his actions reflect the ”Splendor of Truth” which could only emanate from The Word Himself. His departure for The Vatican will mean that Saint Louis will no longer have this one great apostle of Our Lord Jesus who Pope John Paul II gave as His special gift and legacy. We must pray that His Successor will have that same degree of Faith, Hope and Love, as well as Fortitude, Piety and Wisdom with which Almighty God has endowed this Archbishop. Long live Raymond Leo Burke!

The church has clear positions on abortion, the roles of women, gays, and stem cell research. It also has clear positions on the death penalty, the war in Iraq, economic justice and people of other faiths and other variants of Christianity.(They are damned.) It rings a little hollow to hear someone refer to “cafeteria Catholics” when so few are in accord with the church in all its positions. President Bush was very well recieved by the Pope recently. This is the man who personally signed more death warrants then any other man in American history, who found it within himself to mock Karla Faye Tucker while sending her to the death chamber. This is a man who has approved torture and launched a war deemed unsupportable by the church, against a nation that posed us no threat. There has actually been some talk of Bush becoming Catholic as did Tony Blair. Should this happen, will the church allow him Communion?

Archbishop Burke has been a great Archbishop of St. Louis. As a young Catholic (25), I appreciate his loyalty to the Holy Father, his zeal in encouraging young men to enter to the priesthood , his holiness and devotion to Catholic traditions including the ancient Tridentine Latin Mass, his firmness in dealing with radical liberal dissenters( including women “priests”, and lay people taking over a parish against Church law).

He has reluctantly excommunicated those people ( women “priests” and others) who would promote an agenda contrary to the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church.

Now Archbishop Burke is being rewarded by the Pope. He will soon be a Cardinal. He deserves this promotion. It’s not a lateral or horizontal promotion in the Church…….this is a BIG promotion.
I hope we get a new Archbishop exactly like Archbishop Burke, or even more traditional.

Saint Louis deserves far better than what they got in Burke. Hopefully, the archdiocese will get a pastor, not another blowhard clerical politician.

It is appalling to me that someone who has obviously no tact or skills in public relations can be “promoted” to a higher standing in the Church. Perhaps, hiding him away in Rome and out of the public eye is a wise decision to lead the marriage tribunal area in the Vatican. The thought of “elevating” him to a position of a Cardinal, or “Prince of the Church”, is disheartening. Sometime ago, I found out from a friend who was “elevated” to Monsignor that he had to send a rather substantial “stipend” to Rome for the “elevation.” I could not believe this when I heard it! He further told me that this is kept quiet but it is also done when one is “elevated” to the position of bishop and cardinal. It would appear that perhaps Martin Luther was correct when he condemned Church practice of selling indulgences. It would appear that not much has changed and that the Catholic Church is still a business after all. I wonder if Jesus expected “stipends” from his chosen when He offered them the opportunity to “Come, and Follow” Him? He most certainly did not do so. It makes me glad that I am Greek Orthodox and no longer Roman Catholic.

As for the comments above criticizing “cafeteria Catholics”, look no further than the departing Archbishop for a classic example of the same. Raymond Burke condemned those in public life who did not take up the banner of the Church’s teaching on abortion, and he attempted to wield the withholding of sacraments like a weapon against those same office-holders he perceived as defying Church doctrine. Conversely, I do not recall an instance when he did the same to public officials who espouse wars which the Holy Father has condemned (i.e. Iraq), or the death penalty, also condemned by Pope Benedict XVI. If lay Catholics cannot “pick and choose” which Church teachings to follow, how can Archbishop Burke pick and choose which Church doctrines to enforce? His glaring inconsistency in this area always made it seem like his motives were political rather than spiritual.

It’s a great day for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, but surely not for the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature or the Church as a whole.

What an honor for Archbishop Burke!
To be able to serve the Church while in Rome in an area only few are qualified to do. I personally will miss him.
This is always a time of wonder and excitment as we wait to see who the next Shepard of St. Louis will be.
God bless Archbishop Burke and God bless the people of St. Louis.
Chris

One of the problems this underscores is too much turnover in the clergy-hierarchy. Better perhaps that Burke never came here in the first place, nor should any other bishop who doesn’t really want to be a shephard for this local community.
The appointment should be for a minimum of 10 years with no possibility of promotion, and if need be they should elect a local, caring priest for the job who really cares about St. Louis, and means to work for the betterment of the church here,

I was a supporter of Burkes until he went after St Stans…this was a clear effort to get their assets. Someone had to pay for the lawsuits and St Stans had millions.
Good Ridance.

Burke was one of the few bishops with the courage to stand up to the Catholic upper middle class. Hurray for him.

I’m always amazed at the “real” catholics vs cafeteria catholics. The “real” ones show no tolerance for debate. It’s their way or the highway. Pretty much the same guy as, “america, love it or leave it”.

Maybe you Burke worshippers should heed your own advice and follow him to Rome.

See you at St Cronans on Sunday!!!!

Archbishop Burke will contiue to be a true leader for the Catholic Church. He is a holy man who stands by the teachings of the Church and is not afraid to speak these teachings publicly. Many people in St. Louis will never truly understand what a strong leader we had for our Catholic Church. I wish him well in his new role. We should all continue to pray for the entire Catholic Church.

When will people understand that “Religion is a business”? They dont care about the less fortunate, the hungry or the homeless. Its ALL ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE. Think about this, churches are mult-million dollar buildings that pay it priests, pastors & other employess a tax-free income. Must be nice. Then the catholics try to tell people how to vote & what issues need to be addressed. If priests & pastors lived like Jesus they wouldnt be preaching in these million dollar palaces, instead they will take the “word” to the street. If the catholics sold off all its assests (as well as other demonations) they could take care of millions & millions of people in need. CORPORATE RELIGION IS A JOKE…. to me its about a “personal relationship with Christ” .. I dont need to listen to “corporations” tell me how to pray, how to vote & how to life.

Catholics are against abortions, but do you see those same people adopting unwanted kids, or kids with birth defects?

Start thinking for yourself for once & not what the church tells you…

Kurt Greenbaum, in his article, describes Burke’s tenure here as “somewhat stormy” - I’d say that’s “somewhat of an understatement.” The comments here have ranged from the highly supportive to the extreme in damning Burke’s time here as Archbishop.

For me, personally, he represents almost, if not all the reasons why I left the Catholic church many years ago. I consider myself a good Christian but found things so wrong about the Catholic Church, the worst being the covering up and virtually protecting of those priests who were molesting for so many years.

Burke himself crossed lines by condemning other religions - does he not remember the Second Vatican Council? Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Augustin Bea ensuring that the Council language was friendly and open to the sensitivities of Protestant and Orthodox Churches at the request of the late Pope John XXIII. Bea also was significantly involved in the passage of Nostra Aetate, which regulated relation of the Church with the Jewish faith and members of other religions. Burke obviously ignored all that which has been part of the Catholic religion since the late 1960’s.

No, I won’t miss his overbearing ways. He’s best to go back to Rome…

The divisions that AB Burke created in the STL Catholic community are evident on this forum. As others have alluded, Burke would not give communion to high profile politicians that supported abortion, but conveniently overlooked other politicians responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan (Democrats and Republicans alike). He didn’t say he would deny John Kerry communion because of his support for the war, but because of his support for abortion.
To all Catholics defending Burke, I encourage you to consult Catholic doctrine on what constitutes a “just” war. Make no mistake, the Iraq war is not justified by Catholic doctrine. If G.W. Bush was Catholic, would Burke deny him communion based on the war and his ardent support of the death penalty? If we Catholics truly believe all life is sacred, I would hear just as much about war, the death penalty, and poverty as I do about abortion. I am not a casual Catholic; I attend Church on a weekly basis and adhere to the teaching of Christ. AB Burke was misguided at best in his role in STL. Good riddance.

As a Catholic, I feel an enormous sense of relief that Burke will no longer be the Archbishop of St. Louis. He apparently lacked pastoral skills and was too quick to reach for the hammer of canon law. It gives me hope that the Church may again be known for compassion, not punishment.

You people in St. Louis don’t know what you’re losing. A great churchman who will in fact have more influence now on the Catholic Church than he did as AB in your little backwater burg. God Bless Benedict XVI on a great choice.

Alleluia! God has answeredg our prayers and we have been delivered! Burke closed our churches, he excommunicated faithful people in an effort to greedily wrest control of parish finances and property, he injected himself into politics and secular subjects in which he has no business - and he did all of this with the tact and delicacy of a bull in a china shop. Good riddance to bad rubbish. I pray that the Pope will appoint a more diplomatic and people-oriented archbishop, but almost anyone would be better.

Today is a good day! … AB Burke is leaving!!!! AMEN!!! I couldn’t be any happier!!
I will be the first to help him pack his bags and get him out of St. Louis… Nice knowing you, Burke! (Sarcastically) Thanks for coming into St. Louis and really stirring the pot! You left scars on St. Louis that will never heal… You turned many Catholics away from the church forever!!! But not me… you actually encouraged me to go to church… St. Stanislaus that is! Thank you! I have never enjoyed going to church more than I do now! I guess there is no such thing as bad PR.
Have a great trip to Rome! I feel pity on the next city or church you decide to pick on…

Of America’s 256 bishops, only 5 came out saying that it was “a sin” to vote the way Archbishop Burke did.
Little known fact: 4 years ago, the Archbishop asked a Republican leader in the state of Missouri to write his “election guidelines.” Surprise of surprise, it showed Carl Rove’s deft touch of going after the ‘morality of the mid-section:’ abortion, gays, birth control, and embryonic research.
Not a single mention about the war in Iraq, which Pope John Paul II damned time and time again. Not a single word about the environment, inner-city education, poverty in America, access to health care, or the exponentially growing gap between the glutunous rich and massive poor.

The poor guy from a rural, white, middle-class homogenous community and arcane academic background could not have felt any more over his head while here. I’m sure he’s relieved and happy to be able to make decisions without seeing the effects.

Holy Spirit, heal our wounds, and help the over 20% decrease in Catholic Mass attendance we’ve experienced since our AB was dumped here.

I am happy for our blessed, wonderful Archbishop on his appointment. However, it is a great loss for our Archdiocese.

His critics may be happy, because much information about him from the St. Louis media has been derogatory. Sensationalistic issues sell papers and keep people tuned in. Those who truly know Archbishop Burke, and the many wonderful things he’s done throughout the archdiocese are deeply grateful to him and sad to lose him. He is a kind, generous, thoughtful and just man, who did not deserve the harshness he received from his critics.

May God bless him in his new assignment, and may God bless our archdiocese with another wonderful shepard.

Col. Jeff O’Leary (Ret.) stated: “Virtue angers and threatens those whose own lives have been lived in the shadows of expediency and vice.” All you detractors of Abp. Burke should be embarrassed at your ignorance of Catholic teaching, especially the role of a bishop, whose priority is the eternal salvation of his flock. St. John Fisher was the ONLY Catholic bishop in the U.K. who refused to compromise the teachings of Holy Mother Church–and King Henry VIII beheaded him for his fidelity! Abp. Burke has won the crown of white martyrdom for his courage and fortitude in the face of his enemies: the secular media, and all of you here posting your ignorant, self-serving, hateful comments. Long live Christ the King! Long live Raymond Burke!

Well this certainly is the end of an era. This narrow-minded man was plopped into our city and immediately began making enemies. His tyrannical antics may have worked in his tiny hometown of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, but not in a larger, more diverse constituency like St. Louis. I am so happy to see him go. It is people like Burke who drive Catholics away from the church. Adios, Mr. Burke. You will not be missed by the majority of St. Louisans.

My favorite t-shirt says: “Everybody Loathes Raymond”

Good luck stirring the pot in Rome!

Be careful of what you wish for. There are more where Burke came from.

It is not an ignorance of Catholic teaching, but a comprehension of it that causes lifelong Catholics to reel at the selective outrage of Archbishop Raymond Burke and his one-issue orchestra. Hopefully now Pope Benedict XVI will select an actual pastor for the Archdiocese rather than a divisive, ladder-climbing Church politician who graduated with honors from the Dick Cheney School of Charm.

i am not surprised that burke was promoted. the catholic church loves to reward those who alienate people who have different opinions. i am, however, surprised that there seem to be so many people who liked him. he has to have been the most oppressive archbishop in american history. good news for me because now i can walk by the beautiful cathedral on lindell without wanting to vomit.

LindyR…did not realize that the road to martyrdom was a contest to be won. It could show the true nature of the AB and what he was really after.

It seems from the comments I’m reading that what the Church of St. Louis needs is a pastoral healer to succeed AB. The archdiocese is so polarized that it will be quite the challenge to his successor to gather us all into one flock. AB is a canon lawyer, “defensor fidei” primarily. How I hoped he could have addressed effectively issues of an unjust war, growing crime in STL, economic issues of the poor and marginalized, morale of priests,ecumenism and the social gospel issues that permeate our town and society. AB lived in a canon law world because he is a lawyer. I would have enjoyed having him share his priesthood with us a whole lot more. “Promoveat ad moveatur”, promote him to move him. Even Rome knew it was his time to go.

I called my priest when I found out this morning. He said that he’s been getting congratulatory emails and phone calls all morning. His favorite “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead!” (My priest used to teach at the Seminary and was friends with previous Archbishops)

A sad day for true catholics of St. Louis. The don’t get any better than Archbishop Burke. Let’s hope and pray we get another bishop who is the face of Christ as this bishop was.

1. To all of those disaffected Catholics whom Burke caused to become alienated from a church founded on doctrine and canon law, most any protestant denomination will gladly welcome you.

2. Burke represents the same small-minded legalism found in all religions, which we decry especially when used against women, Catholicism should not be given a “pass”. The “Peter Principle” still applies.

Many of you so far have posted snide comments about Burke. It leaves me wondering, how many of you “Catholics” actually know your faith? How many of you claim to be Catholic and go to church only on Easter and Christmas, and maybe a few other holidays during the year? How many of you “Catholics” respect the Church’s teachings? Do you merely acknowledge what the Church says and chalk it up to ignorance, or do you remedy your own ignorance and attempt to figure out WHY the Church teaches what it does? Did you know that the Vatican does not excommunicate members, but that the excommunication is the act that separates the member from the larger Body of the Church? In fact, all the Vatican does is proclaim that the member has separated, or is in an excommunicated state.

I love the Church, and I will die a Catholic. That is the only thing I can state with 100% certainty. But it sickens me when I learn what most people think it means to be Catholic. It’s not picking and choosing which teachings you want to follow. It’s having the courage to understand why the Church has taught what it has taught for the past 2000 years and defend it. If you live up to this responsibility, please go elsewhere. There are plenty of other religions that require neither a backbone nor a true understanding of your beliefs.

Burke was a good priest, and deep down, many of you know this. However, it was easier for you to follow the media and ridicule him, because it was the path of least resistance. His responsibility first and foremost is to be a good Catholic, and he stood up for the Church, mostly at the expense of himself. When I see people writing that they want “a healer”, what I read is they want an archbishop who isn’t going to ruffle any feathers. Would you prefer an archbishop who rolled over for politicians who only say they are Catholic? Think about what it means to be “a healer” in a spiritual sense, and you might realize that Burke wasn’t as far off as everyone would have you believe.

“Ding Dong, the witch is dead”? “Rot in Hell, Burke”? I’d be willing to bet that not one single person who is posting these cruel, un-Christian comments about this holy bishop has NEVER knelt in prayer for Archbishop Burke! It’s usually the loudest whiners who never pray for their priests or bishops. It is a sin to attack a priest! When St. Francis Asissi was asked to chastise a local priest who was living in sin with his mistress, he went to the priest’s house and knelt down, kissing “the hands that give me my Lord in the Eucharist.” I think all of you unkind smart-alecks need to get to confession and confess the sin of detraction. Shame, shame, shame on all of you! I’d like to see how you hate-filled cynics would fare next to Abp. Burke on Judgment Day! You will be accountable for EVERY evil word and thought you’ve ever done. Shame on you ignorant, cruel, selfish people!

Thank goodness he’s gone! The man was too insensitive to the needs of the St. Louis archdiocese. The way he bullied the St. Stan situation just proves what kind of person he is. I’m not so sure we are completely out of the woods with him, yet. If he is moving closer to the Pope and Rome, he will have more power to abuse. We have all seen what he does with his power. As a whole, the Catholic Church needs to heal and to retrieve all the lost sheep. This will take time and the right kind of person to do it. I think we may have that with our Pope. Let’s pray that God will guide Pope Benedict to select a good archbishop for our diocese who will be sensitive and effective and stick around for awhile.

We all know why he bullied St. Stan. It was not about its people or its teachings. It was about the millions of dollars they have in the coffers. Once again, Religion is a BUSINESS… its about the mighty dollar (or as of late, not all that mighty) and thats it.. WAKE UP PEOPLE…

THINK FOR YOURSELF for a change

“Would you prefer an archbishop who rolled over for politicians who only say they are Catholic?”

I would actually prefer an Archbishop who respects the very American separation of Church and State and who does not presume to tell me how to vote in civil elections.

Great, I don’t believe he has been a positive force in St. Louis, and the Catholic community is much better of with out him. Of course, there is always the issue of the devil you know, VS the one who may come later.

Many citizens of the United States are also Catholics. However, if Catholics are genuine about their faith, their faith won’t be threatened by performing their civic duty of voting or vice versa. I don’t think the separation of church and state requires that citizens (including Catholic priests) compartmentalize their faith when they enter the voting booth.

Second, Neal, please show me where Burke *ever* told you who to vote for. Priests don’t speak on candidates–they speak on issues. Your faith should inform where you stand on the issue. Also, in stating that he would deny politicians communion, Burke was speaking on HIS relationship with politicians, not yours. You have absolutely no impact on whether or not he gives them the Eucharist.

Apparently you feel that a clergyman discussing political candidates is a violation of the Establishment Clause. However, if you read another part of the SAME Constitutional Amendment (the First), you will see that citizens also retain the right to free speech. Contrary to what you may thing, a priest doesn’t forfeit his First Amendment rights once he becomes ordained.

Arcbishop Burke To Head Apostolic Signatura, Church’s Highest Court
The following is the text of Archbishop Raymond L. Burke’s statment regarding his appointment as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. To view a video statement from Archbishop Burke, click on the play button (►) in the video window below. The appointment was announed at the Vatican on Friday, June 27, 2008.

Today, at noon in Rome (5 a.m. CDT), it was announced that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has named me prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, effective immediately. With the announcement, I ceased to be the Archbishop of St. Louis.

I am deeply humbled by the trust which His Holiness has placed in me, and, in priestly obedience, I have pledged to serve our Holy Father to the best of my abilities. Although you will no longer pray for me as your archbishop, especially during the celebration of the Holy Mass, I ask your prayers for me, that I may faithfully and generously cooperate with God’s grace in fulfilling my new responsibilities.

Leaving the service of the Church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis is most sad for me. It has been an honor and gift for me to serve the archdiocese over the past four years and five months. It had been my hope to serve here for a long time, but, as the bishop who called me to priestly ordination often remarked, “Man proposes, but God disposes.” I trust that doing what our Holy Father has asked me to do will bring blessings to the Archdiocese of St. Louis and to me. St. Louis is a great archdiocese which will always have a treasured place in my heart.

In a particular way, I am saddened to leave my fellow priests, whom I have so much grown to esteem and love. Often, I have spoken about the remarkable unity and loyalty of our presbyterate. For me, it has been a special grace to work with them in the service of God’s flock in the archdiocese. I thank them for the priestly fraternity which they have always shown me, and for the generous obedience with which they have responded to my pastoral care and governance of our beloved archdiocese.

With regard to the governance of the archdiocese, the College of Consultors will meet to elect an archdiocesan administrator who, with the help of the consultors, will govern the archdiocese, until the new archbishop is appointed and installed. Please pray for the College of Consultors and for the archdiocesan administrator whom they will elect.

Again, I ask your prayers. You can count upon my daily prayers for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, always.

Like MLK said, quoting the famous black spiritual, “Thank God, we’re free at last!”

Sounds like he got promoted to the Court of the Inquisition, which isn’t a good thing for the worldwide church, but birds of a feather and all that stuff. If he plays his cards right, he can go down in Catholic history…like Torquemada did.

I’m not hopeful that our next archbishop will be a saint, but Burke did more to ‘uncatholic’ St. Louis than anyone else in our 400 year history.

Attendance down 20%? I believe it. I guess they noticed the gate receipts quit coming in, so they needed to move him on. If they want to get the disaffected 20% back, they are going to need a Vatican II raised ecumenically friendly uniter, not someone mumbling in Latin and trying to drag the faithful back to the days of interdict, persecution and cloister.

Praise Jesus! It’s about time they got the old kook out of here.

Thank God. Clearly the Pope cares about Billikens basketball. Maybe the new archbishop will not try to scare off Majerus.

Now I can consider donating to Catholic Charities gain. Burke represents 2% of Catholic views yet receives 99% of the attention with his political agenda. Please stay in Rome a long long time. You have done enough damage in STL to last a lifetime.

Although I did not agree with Arch Bishop Burke in all areas (especially St. Stan), I appreciated his leadership tremendously. As a former Lutheran (47 years), you cradle Catholics should be on your knees thanking God for some sort of leadership for us “trench workers” (those of us who have the privilige to serve the poor and encounter the Body of Christ on a daily basis). My theory is that if you don’t love and appreciate The Catholic church and all its diversity, then leave. Or don’t you have the guts to do it???

Sincerely,
Mary
O’Fallon

I have to say good riddance. AB Burke has done nothing but alienate people since his arrival here. He may be a good lawyer but he sucks as a leader for St. Louis Catholics. As for his position in the Vatican, it figures that he would move up. I pray for anyone that has to go to Burke for anything. I hope the next AB will be a man that is more kind and loving to the people of St. Louis and that he will help to start the healing process that we need here in the area due to the actions of Burke.

Good luck Arch-Bishop Burke……… The farther away you are the better. You have done nothing but alienate many of us Catholics from our own true church.

I hope God sends us a shepherd who will bring the peace, love and reconciliation that Jesus showed as an example when he was here on earth, to our Archdiocese.

God Bless Pope Benedict for taking you to Rome. Hopefully, you will do some soul-searching on your diplomacy skills and not bring heartache and shame to the supreme tribunal.

MSM

I disassociated myself from the Catholic Church long ago, but I will gladly rejoice along with most of the other posters on here that this control-freak, ego-maniac is skipping town. The St. Louis Archdiocese couldn’t do much worse than Burke. Unfortunately I work for an organization under the umbrella of the STL Archdiocese and I can tell you that the general public is only half aware of the extent of this man’s controlling behavior. I can tell you what I really will NOT miss: Letters sent from Rev. Burke TO MY HOME telling me how to vote. I can only speak for my agency, but it is far from “Catholic”. Unless you consider lying to obtain grant money, misuse of that grant money, and giving donations to employees instead of the needy “Catholic-like”. The hypocrisy of it all sickens me. And yes, I am looking for a new job. But thanks to the people Burke wanted me to vote for, there are few good jobs out there to choose from. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, “Rev.” Burke.

Add me to the chorus singing hallelujah. Burke was a tyrant and an embarrassment to St. Louis. His heavy handed attempts at thought control drove me from the Catholic church tradition that I was raised it. I’m grateful that after I left I found a church that more closely followed Jesus’s teachings, but I feel for those who were driven away from the church under Burke’s rule and weren’t able to find a new spiritual home. Good riddance Raymond, and lets all pray the next St. Louis Arch Bishop will be more loving and closer to what we were blessed with Arch Bishops May and Rigali.

Good riddance!! At a time where the Catholic church needed to provide unity in wake of the many scandals (primarily priests molesting children), this person was the last one that should have been in charge. Hopefully the Catholic church gets it right this time to stop the bleeding as attendance continues to dwindle.

Burke was a man who finally took the Church’s Pro-Life position from the pulpit to actually putting it into action. Catholic hospitals and universities shouldn’t have spokesmen preaching that abortion is somehow acceptable. So let all the queers at shamefest burn Burke’s effigy this weekend. Those freaks can have their day. The sane one’s will recognize that Burke gave the St. Louis community the courage to stand up for injustices and we are grateful to God for him.

Archbishop Burke leaving?

Well, this is a sad day for atheism in St. Louis.

I had dealings with Bishop Burke when he consolidated the Catholic school system here in La Crosse. In what became his trademark he took a good idea or position and completely screwed it up with his high-handed and hard-hearted attitude and rhetoric. He also has no idea how to communicate with other people; he may be too smart for his own good. Finally, in order to protect his friend who ran the schools (I think you fine folks are bedevilled with him now) he flat out lied to my face. More than anything else in my life that shook my faith to the core. Keep telling yourself: He’s not the Church; he’s just a man.

So long, Ray. Don’t let the door hit you in your inflexible, unsympathetic, uncaring, holier-than-thou butt. May you withdraw into the obscurity that you so richly deserve.

Most of us won’t miss you and will welcome the opportunity for the Vatican to correct the misstep that brought you here (while never publicly admitting it).

During a time of economic instability, war, and natural disasters, I guess I expect more from my religious leaders than their enforcement of church doctrine. I have always hoped that Archbishop Burke would provide more guidance to Catholics in the Archdiocese on living Jesus’ teachings. I thought being Catholic was about loving even your enemies and welcoming them into your home even when you disagree with them. I hope our next Archbishop will promote peace, love, generosity and tolerance to Catholics in the St. Louis Archdiocese.

Bishop Edward Braxton, currently head of the Belleville Diocese should be elevated to St. Louis’s next Arch-Bishop! Despite racially-motivated attempts to remove him from his current position, he has been a steadfast steward of his flock. Bishop Braxton is a man of deep learning and abundant heart. In these times of reduced vocations, Bishop Braxton is needed in St. Louis (even though he was previously stationed at the Cathedral Basillica). White people among the clergy and the laity have struggled to take down this great African-American Catholic leader, so we need to install him where he will do the most good and fill the most need: BISHOP EDWARD BRAXTON SHOULD BE THE NEXT ARCH BISHOP OF ST. LOUIS!!!

Bishop Braxton has already been caught pilfering the Sunday collections for his own pocket! It’s bad enough that AB Burke wanted to syphon the assets of St. Stanislaus parish. Now you want to bring in a known thief! Oh, but for the hard-core “faithful” around here, wearing the Roman collar and being ordained puts you above reproach…or the law…

Of what use is a teacher who alienates a significan number of his students? Or a politician who hasn’t developed the savy to work with his constituency? Or a parent who is naive (or worse)blind to the reality of raising kids who are not yet adults? A doctor whose bedside manner drives his patients away? A football coach unable to inspire his players?

We all know that teachers, politicians, parents, doctors and football coaches have to be strong leaders, but they have to figure out a way to be effective, without alienating those they have been given responsibility over.

The same is true with a bishop. He has to have the savy to defend the faith without consistently offending the faithful. Man has come of age, and we are no longer willing to be subjected to the pompous and unyielding among us!

It is so sad to see this hatred from so many supposedly Catholic people. Obviously those who wrote such things do not know Archbishop Burke and have not taken the time educate themselves on Church teachings or the facts relative to the events of the past few years in St Louis. I understand that those who speak ill of him very likely know that he speaks only the truth and that is what bothers them so much. It is easy to feel good about your sins when someone in authority is accepting of them. It is much harder to face yourself when a true moral compass such as Archbishop Burke leaves no doubt as to what is right and what is wrong.

You do not realize how truly blessed you were to have him as your sheppard. I have known him personnaly for many years. He is a most humble person who does all that he does to serve Jesus Christ and his Church. He puts his personal interests aside to teach the word of God without watering it down. Remember that Jesus said it would be difficult to get to heaven. We will not get there by being tolerant of erroneous teachings. Archbishop Burke pointed out error where he saw it. For him to ignore that error, he would be personnaly responsible for misleading those under his care. He takes his responsibility to shepard his flock most seriously. He can lead and if we refuse to follow, then we will need to answer to God on that judgement day. If all of our bishops were so corrageous, many if not most of the ills of our society would be driven out.

Over the years I have drawn much personal spiritual strength from Archbishop Burke. He has been ridiculed by many just as Jesus was for teaching the truth. His reward will be great in heaven. I am sure he seeks no reward here on earth. That is why he can continue to withstand the evils of this world. I send my love and prayers with him whereaver he is asked to serve. He is a great man.

Really? Face of Christ? Is that really how you think Christ would act?

Sad day for Rome, happy day for St. Louis. This chump can’t get out of town fast enough for me!

Congratulations to Archbishop Burke.

We were very lucky to have him lead us with a steady hand faithful to the teachings and laws of the Church.

I’m sure he will be a terrific “Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature.”

Thank you Archbishop Burke for your service here. May Our Lord bless you for your courage and faithfulness.

and May Our Lord send us another holy shepherd for His flock here in the St. Louis Archdiocese.

Good riddance. It’s better Burke goes back to the Vatican where they don’t exercise freedom of religion, rather than stay in the USA where we do. His meddling in politics, like Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, and the others, is a huge part of what gives Christianity a bad name and is leading to its destruction in our country. Well, that and its refusal to face the facts of science. Goodbye and hope to not see you later.

The people writing in support of Burke are living under a rock. Wake up, weirdos. There is a reason most people in STL couldn’t stand Burke. He did more to single-handedly damage this community’s spiritual cohesiveness than any person in the past five decades. You say Burke “speaks the truth…” blah blah blah. What religion doesn’t think they stand for truth. I take comfort in knowing that I live my life as a compassionate, kind and respecful secular humanist. I take even more comfort in knowing that the hypocritical and egocentric reign of Raymond Burke in my city has come to an end. Perhaps now St. Louis can heal.

As as life long Catholic, I’ve done my best to follow the Church’s teaching even in when it’s been difficult or required sacrifices. Archbishop Burke’s tenure in Saint Louis shook my faith and sorely tested it. Clearly, his glaringly obvious lack of interpersonal skills, inability to see or appreciate any point of view different from his own, and shallow sense of compassion caused mostly harm and did little good.

What we need is pastor who leads by example and who understands what the words “charity,” “mercy,” and “empathy” truly mean. Further, we need to pray for Archbishop Burke himself; hopefully, he will receive the grace and courage to look at the profound damage he’s done and ask for forgiveness.

Good lawyer, lousy shepard. This may be a position he can excel in. He couldn’t do much worse than the PR disasters he created here.

Whomever we get some won’t like him either. Burke approached what needed to be done with law, some do it with other means. I wonder if the big givers didn’t scream loudly to the apostolic nuncio and he is being moved to appease the big givers and to put him where he will excel. It’s odd to only have an archbishop here 4.5 years. Hmmm. If people really knew all that goes on behind the scenes of the Catholic church locally and globally people would find it hard to believe. A new archbishop will have a different flavor but nothing behind the scenes will really change. As a priest I know. Much of what the every day Catholic sees is smoke and mirrors. At my age I don’t care who we get. Same circus just different clowns.

Boy!! after reading all of this, I’m sure glad that I don’t have ties to the catholic church. It is plain to see that all of the so called good catholics are praying to the wrong place. God is in control of a religious persons life , not the church or anyone that represents it. Praying to a church will get you know where. You have to pray to God. If you all really believe that the church is your ticket to salvation, you are doomed to you know where. This Burke was and is an idiot and anyone that is praying for him falls into the same category. He’s just a man for God’s sake. He can do nothing for you. Has anyone actually given any thought to the fact that the real God has given you the choice to make decisions on your own. I for one am glad he’s gone because it’s getting old hearing about him.

“I take comfort in knowing that I live my life as a compassionate, kind and respecful secular humanist”

Then your opinion on catholic or religious matters means nothing

I personally am glad to see him go. Though many may think this man has done God’s work by closing down churches, excommunicating priests and with holding the sacraments from parish members due to controversy over St Stans he hasnt. Let Rome deal with him. Finally some good news coming out of the Vatican. Way to go Benny!

I am so amazed at all the good, christian souls who have decided to comment on this blog today! It was written somewhere, (I don’t recall where, but I think it’s a quote from someone quite famous) about blessed are you, when men hate you and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, for, behold, your reward is great in heaven because in like manner did their fathers do unto the prophets.
I also have heard it said, probably from my mom, to be careful what you wish for. Who knows, all of you in St. Louis might get an even better bishop than Burke, one more Catholic, holier, and even stronger in the Faith than he. Hard to imagine, but I could name a few. And that would be a great joy indeed.
God Bless [soon-to-be Cardinal] Burke.

Goodbye and good riddance. I left the Catholic Church after feeling pressure from this man to vote Republican. He has been an embarrassment to this city for far too long.

As I have been reading other people’s posts throughout the day, it saddens me to see just how hateful people have been to Archbishop Burke. If we claim to be Catholics, Christians, or (in some cases) “good people”, we shouldn’t be saying such horrible things about a man who was doing everything for his Church. It also saddens me that people are so ignorant to say that Burke was trying to “reclaim St. Stan for financial gain” or they “will help Burke pack for Rome.” It pains me to hear that people leave the Church or whose faith was greatly shaken by somebody. We should never let a person get in the way of our faith. BURKE IS NOT PERFECT. He has never claimed to be.

I also worry that so many of those hurt by Burke are expecting Jesus Himself to come in the form of a new Archbishop and bring those fallen Catholics back. Guess what? That is not going to happen. We will have a new sheppard that will be flawed, who will make mistakes, and take stances that some may not agree with. So instead of waiting to find this great, almighty person that will replace Burke, why not focus that negative energy (that so many of you have) and put it towards prayer? Why not put it towards supporting the CHURCH rather than condemning a person. We are a community. A community called to serve Christ and to serve each other.

As my Polish ancestors before me I feel the same joy as they when liberated from the concentration camps and from under the rule of the sickle & hammer.

As Dr. Martin Luther King said :

Free at last ! Free at last ! Thank god almighty, we are free at last

It always seemed as though Burke was very ambitious in his career, making big moves and taking big, messy controversial stands on things. You can call it following canon law, but Rigali was better-loved by the entire community, he set a good example for area Catholics, helped bring Pope John Paul to our humble city, and never shunned entire parishes and took punitive stands on his own flock the way Burke has. Most of my Catholic friends have been disappointed by this guy and were not proud to call him their local leader. They are happy he is leaving and are looking forward to a more inclusive, benevolent leader who focuses more on helping the church and the community than excluding and calling out “wrongdoers.”

Burke had begun to make a name for himself nationally by denying his parishoners the eucharist in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, then continued his crackdown crusades in the huge Catholic population center St. Louis - and now he has made the big leap to Rome! Next stop - the papal throne? No matter what you say about the guy, he’s definitely cut out for his upcoming role on this “tribunal.”

Glad to see him leave; now maybe the Church can finally heal and follow things like the Ten Commandments, the Beattitudes and the Golden Rule — which all pre-existed Cannon Law — and move forward together. Must ditto “slamfist” — sad thing is his departure feels a little like we’re in the same position as we were after the Carnahan-Ashcroft election.

Archbishop was Catholic. And for that, people hated him. I sincerely hope and pray we get another Catholic Archbishop.

Finally the “Era of Burkism” is OVER. In the short time Burke has been in St. Louis, he has done great harm the the Catholic Church of St. Louis. I did not always like what the other Archbishop did, but I respected them. This man lost respect and damaged the St. Louis Church.

The word “catholic” means “universal”. In order for something to be universal, it must be generally accepted and apply to all. You move towards universality by emphasizng those things that all can agree upon, not by erecting fences, nor by drawing smaller and smaller circles to exclude non “true believers.”

You draw the conclusions.

If I were a betting man, I’d put money on the next Abp of St Louis having a Polish last name.

Time to heal the St Stan’s thing…

Listecki, Paprocki (Chicago-born Bps) might well be on the list.

“It is a sin to attack a priest!” I thought this was a joke.

But then you say, “I’d like to see how you hate-filled cynics would fare next to Abp. Burke on Judgment Day! You will be accountable for EVERY evil word and thought you’ve ever done. Shame on you ignorant, cruel, selfish people!

Attitudes like this are just frightening. I’m glad I left the Catholic church. And yes, I’m sure you’re glad I left too. Fortunately I don’t think you speak for the majority of Catholics who have been holding their breath, waiting for Burke to leave.

In a story that was not very well-publicized, one of the six members of the St. Stanislaus board reconciled with the Church about a week or so ago. We should pray that the rest of the board members and Mr. Bozek also realize their mistake and come back to the church.

Also, I think many of you are looking past something here. The Archbishop Burke/St. Stanislaus conflict is much more deep than money, and it goes beyond one parish versus one individual man. Remember, it was the Holy See, the Vatican itself, who declared that St. Stanislaus was in the wrong. The Archbishop merely proclaimed that they were in a state of excommunication.

Good. Bye.

Although, I differed in opinion with Archbishop Burke on some matters, I never knew an Archbishop that upheld the faith like he did! I am totally appalled at the hateful, non-christianlike attitude shown here. I have heard AB Burke preach and teach, and although his pr skills may have been lacking at times, I saw many times when he connected with his flock. I am so sick of hearing of how he mistreated the poor folks at St. Stan’s. I am sorry, they made they bed and now they are lying in it. Why should they be so special? They chose to turn the back from the Church and hire their own ‘priest’ and carry on their own business on their own.

Just because the world has turned so permissible and adopted a totally ‘any-goes’ attitude is no reason for the Catholic church to do the same. Speak out against abortion, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and birth control and you’re labeled as trying to destroy the Catholic Church. Excuse me, but maybe you need to go back to the Baltimore catechism and learn the rules of the church again! Maybe we need the nuns to come back and teach us right! Yes I am older, and maybe that is why I could appreciate AB Burke!

I am sorry to see him leave, and can only hope we will get another orthodox, caring Archbishop as a replacement. As many great bishops as we have created in St. Louis maybe we can get another good Archbishop who will carry on the work Archbishop Burke started. I for one appreciate the time he has been here.

Something tells me that the Catholic High Court might soon decide to create some more forms of punishment. That is the type of contribution Bishop Burke would bring to the table.

Be still and listen. It doesn’t matter if we liked Archbishop Burke or not. He wasn’t here to win votes. He took the job few would accept: become the “face” of the Catholic Church in a society already divided
by its own self-interests. He didn’t care whether I agreed with what he said. But he cared to speak hard truths that made me realize I’m not the know-it-all “big shot” I think I am. If I can’t live the Catholic Faith, then I should have the humility to respect those who can.

I have known our Archbishop since his arrival in St. Louis. It is astounding how he has stood up to his detractors. He has upheld the canons of the Catholic Church, preaching only the truth. He has been on the Cross.I am sorry for the people that have resented the good he constantly did. For all of this he has been rewarded by the Holy Father.St.Louis is about to lose a fearless Archbishop. He has only been interested in the salvation of the souls in his care. That is what he was ordained to do. When he faces God he will have nothing to fear. Thank you Archbishop and my humble prayers go with you.

Seems like you Abp. Burke haters want a warm, fuzzy, tolerant, “can’t we all get along?” bishop. So Abp. Burke is a tyrant, intolerant, condemning? He’s not like Christ? Oh, really?? Consider the following “warm, fuzzy, inculsive words of Jesus: “Woe to you Pharisees, who clean the outside of the cup but the inside is filled with sin and filth”. “Woe to you Phariseess, who are like whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside, but inside filled with dead men’s bones.” Abp. Burke is the most Christ-like bishop in the country, concered with nothing more than the preservation of the Faith and the salvation of souls. You sarcastic smart-aleck hate-filled people will have to answer to God on Judgment Day for your calumnious, slanderous condemnation (talk about intolerance!!) of this holy man of God. How dare you, you Catholics???? And you non-Catholics, humanists and atheists:MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!! Abp Burke has nothing to do with you!!!

I am amazed at the hatred and animosity spewed by the so called Catholics attacking the people who criticize AB Burke. I didn’t realize that just because you happened to be born into a religion that you lose all your compassion and ability to think for yourself. Burke was a disaster in St. Louis and now is promoted to be able to continue his heavy handed tactics. I am proud that I am able to think for myself and after seeing first hand the unholy way in which the Church protects it own am proud to say that I am no longer Catholic. The Church needs a good purging and a return to the teachings of Jesus.

USA Losing Anheuser-Busch: Bad.
Cards Losing to Cubs: Bad.
Bush Winning 2 Elections: Bad.
Obama Losing to McCain: Bad.
St. Louis Losing Raymond Burke: Good. Very, very good.

This is the best damn news I’ve heard in a while.

I am very sorry to see this holy man leave our area. It is sad to see the hatred for this man who stood up for the faith at the cost of his personal reputation. Alas, he was not here to be liked or have good PR. He was here to shepherd the flock and stand up for the faith. I can’t believe folks think that this is now a time for healing from the effects of this great man. The real healing is needed in parishes and groups who have been openly defiant of the Church, whose representative here has been Abp. Burke. The Church as a whole will benefit greatly, but locally it will suffer from his absence.

This is the best news I have heard in a while. Raymond Burke was a terrible bishop and did very little to promote healing and acceptance in the Catholic Church. His “my way or the highway” approach to catholicism was destructive and alienating to St. Louis Catholics.

Terry Dolan

If only every diocese and archdiocese could have a Holy man of the caliber of Archbishop Burke, we would all be better off. We love him in California!

All these references to “his flock” makes my stomach turn. You are PEOPLE, not sheep. Do you not have the freedom to think for yourselves? Do you really let one man tell you what to do, how to vote, how to worship and what to think? That is pathetic. What are you, a bunch of lobotomized zombies? “Flock”?????? Oh that is weird.

Ciao Ciao Burke. STL is better without ya.

As a jurist I’m sure he will be fine, as an Archbishop, he needed to take a Dale Carnegie course.

I agree with those who feel the church needs to show a softer, more compassionate side with the next Archbishop, as opposed to the “my way or the highway” approach Burke often has taken during his tenure here.

Glad to see the dictator go!

Thank God Archbishop Burke is gone, The prayers of many a St. Louis Catholic have been answered. Many think he was doing the right things but he was doing them in a ham fisted undiplomatic way. He came to one of the most Catholic cities in the U.S. and managed to drive good Catholics away from the Church. This new job is proably what he was going for. Now that he has got it maybe the wounds he inflicted can be healed.

There are many different types of spirituality - one size does not fit all.

Archbishop Burke’s spirituality focused on the “Pelvice issues” of abortion, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and birth control. That is a type of spirituality for people who sometimes confuse personal piety with a more social view of sin.

I have no problem with someone trying to yell out Christian values in an age of moral relativism. But I would have loved to have him be consistent, which is why he has engendered so much animosity. He spoke as if he was pro-life, but his love of President “W” and agreement with the Iraq War, which has now killed over 2/3rds of a million Iraqi’s, is simply indefensible. Pope JP II decried the war - Burke’s silence screamed that he was a Cafeteria Catholic that was far more Republican than Catholic.

True prophets cause everyone, and I mean everyone, to feel challenged. The fact that many came to feel so self-righteous behind him and feel it was an “us verses them” situation is not prophetic whatsoever.

We see religious intolerance in certain Arab countries of the world and decry it. We have experience religious intolerance within our own Catholic Church, and some applaud while others feel alienated.

BTW, does he get to keep the $14,000 Capa Magna (the bejewelled train he wears in high pomp times) he bought for himself, or is that the property of the Archdiocese???

Look at how many times the dissenters mention compromise. There is NO compromise in your faith - it is what it is!!! No problem picking out the libs here. AB Burke fed us the truth and the real Catholics heard. The weak Catholics fled and forgot the religion they believed in involved them and Jesus. I feel sorry for them and hope they find peace.

“Woe to you Pharisees, who clean the outside of the cup but the inside is filled with sin and filth”. “Woe to you Phariseess (sic), who are like whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside, but inside filled with dead men’s bones.”

That’s just it, though…Burke could very well be that Pharisee. The Pharisees were judgemental and harshly punitive on their flocks, as was Burke. The Pharisees were flashy and full of bravado, making great shows of their so-called piety - so was Burke - as it was often noted about him, he has been causing a stir in the national media since his days in Wisconsin, it’s almost as if he loves the spotlight, and why not? He has clearly made a name for himself here in the states, and now, it seems, in Rome, with his talent for shunning, finger-pointing and punishing his own church members - sadly, most of whom wished to share in the love of God through things like the Eucharist, to enjoy the fellowship of their culturally unique church, those who wished to become part of the clergy, or take part in Catholic fund-raisers.

The Pharisees were too busy puffing themselves up with demonstrations of power and the church’s might to truly do the work of God, to welcome everyone who wished to know God to his table and teachings, to help others in the community. Jesus did not turn away people whose hearts were open, even if their shows of faith might not have been “perfect.” He knew that love and coming to him with an open heart was more important than doing everything by the rule book.

Instead, he turned his anger on those who loved to shun and punish others, he admonished them as he did his disciples when they verbally attacked the woman who wished to perfume his feet with oil. He dined with the lawyers, tax collectors and hated people of his time, he did not bless the powerful and mighty, he blessed the meek and humble, and the peacemakers.

Does he need help packing? I know a lot of folks who’d be happy to do it. And now that he’s up for the lacy red dress to go with his red beanie, maybe he needs a bishop “assistant” - I’ll drive Braxton to the airport!!

To Matt Hower

well aint you the devoted true republican… Reagan was a moron… he did nothing but run this country in the ground like G W Bush… the republican party should be abolished and all members should be convicted of war crimes… and the pope may not be a card carrying nazi…but he sure has the ideals of one… just hope he croaks real soon before he destroys what is left of the catholic church… and now my hatred turns to you… may you rot right next to them in hell

What a relief for St. Louis! This person has done nothing but polarize the catholics of St. Louis. I always thought that a large part of the ordained’s responsibility was to bring people back in to the Church - not send them away.

God works in mysterious ways - but he got this one right! Too bad it took so long!

All St. Louis Catholics are really very lucky that Mr. Burke will leave us before he manages to “flock” all of us just as he did to the St. Stan group!

Someone moderate, tolerant with gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and trangenders. Someone who is a good listener, flexible, tolerant. Someone who respects people of different faiths, denominations, political affiliations, sexual orientations. Someone who is respectful of human rights. Hopefully nothing like Archbishop Burke.

The Archbishop may be blamed for many of the problems that are in the Catholic Church in St. Louis, but the reality of the situation is that the Archbishop is a servant of the people, a shepherd to the flock; and though many of his decisions were not popular, they were necessary. I commend him for graciously taking the criticism he was given, in spite of the intentions behind the remarks made about him. I pray for a man to follow him in the spirit of the love that he had for his flock, with a little more tact.

This just in from the Post-Dispatch:
Archbishop Burke is said to have orchestrated the take-over bid of Anheuser Busch by ImBev.
Now that he has completely destroyed St. Louis, he moves on to Rome where undoubtly he will apply his keen intellect and precise understanding of canon law to many a case and assuredly decide and pronounce more than once… oh yeah, no, we really did mean that marriage was for life and you shouldn’t have gotten that divorce and oh that’s right, yeah, we’re sorry you were confused but we really did mean that you cannot vote for pro-abortion laws and receive communion. Yes, in fact the Catholic Church, really does mean what she teaches.
And to the person who commented that we’re people and not sheep, uh, there’s this book called the Bible and in it a fella named Jesus used that reference many times and I suspect that the one who created us would have a pretty good anthropological understanding about the creature He created… just a hunch.

Wow. In this blog, I have seen: church-bashing; religion-bashing; Republican-bashing; Catholic-bashing; pope-bashing; and Bush-bashing. For a moment I thought I was on the Democratic National Committee website.

My wife and I were never so pleased as when we woke up this morning and saw that Burke was gone. Bottom line….he was not a nice person, and I am glad to see him go.

This is a classic case of addition by subtraction. I hope Burke forgets he ever heard of St. Louis, which needs a pastor [which he wasn't], not a bureaucrat [which he is]. Don’t let the cathedral door hit you on your way out…

“And you non-Catholics, humanists and atheists:MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!! Abp Burke has nothing to do with you!!!”

LindyR, you could not be more wrong. Your internecine sectarian squabbling aside, Burke’s behavior impacted much more than the Catholic community, and has everything to do with us human beings.

His Excellency repeatedly refused to cooperate with law enforcement personnel investigating multiple allegations of child rape by priests in his territory. While he is a quite capable– and possibly brilliant– ecclesiastical attorney, he is subject to secular laws. By refusing to turn over requested documents as part of a valid criminal investigation he raised the question of his possibly engaging in obstruction of justice.

His Excellency’s strictures against elected public officials whose political actions did not reflect Catholic dogma also has quite a bit to do with us mere humans. Effectively, HE was undermining the democratic political process by threatening to withhold your sacraments from elected Catholic public officials. This, in effect, if it had succeeded, would have risked forcing the population-at-large to live under laws that were implemented according to the dogma of the Catholic Church.

His Excellency’s pontifications on those lines risked suborning public elected public officials and undermining the Constitution in the name of Catholic dogma. To this day, I have extreme reservations about voting for any Catholic political candidate since, as a mere human, I choose not to live according to Catholic dogma and am reluctant to risk having my Constitutional rights eroded. If I change my mind, I can always move to the Vatican.

His Excellency’s removal from the area falls into “it’s a good thing” category for me because the man is extremely, extremely dangerous.

I wouldn’t necessary celebrate his ascension to the Apostolic Signatura if I were you. I seem to recall that Bernard Cardinal Law of Boston was appointed to a post at the Vatican after some minor scandals in his diocese.

“Scandal.” That’s a favorite word of His Excellency’s, isn’t it? Maybe he and Bernie can have some nice, long chats.

I think his leaving St. Louis is a blessing in disguise. As a matter of fact, he is the very reason we decreased our contributions to the Arch Diocese. After the stunt he pulled with St. Stanislaus Church, we are thrilled he’s leaving St. Louis. Good riddance. Lord knows the Catholic church needs money to offset the lawsuits from the various priest sexual molesting children. You don’t suppose he wanted St. Stanislaus Church’s money to help foot the bill?

So Burke is leaving the archdiocese in a stronger position than when he arrived. If that’s so why are there over 150,000 fewer catholics in the archdiocese than when he arrived? If the archdiocese is stronger, why have so many parishes and schools closed. If he were truly the holy and humble man that some posts have claimed, why does he continue to give succor to priests who have molested the trusting innocent? Humble? Recall his investiture when he wore triumphal gold vestments. Holy? He gives sanctuary to pederast simply because they belong to his club. Doctrinare? Perhaps the perfect candidate to head up the Inquisition.

This is a great gain for the world and a great loss for america. We have lost a beacon of christ’s light among the liberal darkness of our time. Archbishop burke is truly a follower of christ and faithful to the teachings of the church. This is why many progressive narcissists are happy to see him leave because now they get to do what ever is in their hearts and not what the “backwards evil” church tells them. These people are above the church they are the truly enlighten and compassionate ones and were put on this earth to show the church and its faitful followers the err of their ways but with god’s grace archbishop burke will be replaced by someone just like him or even more faitful.

Archbishop Burke was Roman–but not Catholic. He’s headed to the right place, where rules are king and Jesus is an afterthought.

And to the wacky idea that his replacement ought to be Chicagoan bishops Listecki (an ultraconservative civil AND canon lawyer–sound familiar?) or [God helps us] Paprocki: be careful what you wish for! Bishop Paprocki in particlar would make you wish for Burke again. He’s in charge of my deanery in Chicago, unfortunately, and his personality and temperament are, shall we say, not exactly winning.
Martin Berg

I’m not a Christian and I support abortion rights.But I expect adherents of any religion to be sincere,and Burke was sincere.If he helped convince pro-choice people or advocates of same-sex relationships that they don’t belong in the Catholic Church,that is doing a good job.A religion that puts telling people what they want to hear above all else and never kicks anyone out is worthless.If you don’t believe God ordained a certain set of rules,don’t belong to a group that says He did.What divine will is is in no way subject to popular vote,and a religion that “changes with the times” unmasks itself as a fraud.

I am on the side of those who are happy to see Burke go. I guess you could define me as a lapsed catholic and had been considering returning to the church when I relocated to St. Louis. Unfortunately, the actions of Burke stopped me and felt I could not support his actions. Growing up in the church, we were taught compassion and inclusiveness. I did not see that side of Burke. I saw condemnation and divisiveness. I’m sure Burke’s positions were correct according to Catholic doctrine, but his approach was that of a bully. I hope whoever replaces him has better diplomacy skills. By the way, if priests did not give communion to catholics who support abortion rights, stem cell research, etc., communion would go really, really fast.

I think Ap Burke’s new position is a good move for him. His strength is in upholding the history and tradition of the Catholic Church by deciding matters of canon law. He is one of the Church’s greatest legal minds and a scholar.

I believe Ap Burke is a good and holy man. I also believe that he is better suited for work inside the Vatican than he is for pastoral leadership of a diocese. While I don’t disagree with his positions on various controversial issues, I do feel he has perhaps chosen the wrong battles or chosen to fight those battles in ineffective ways.

I hope our next Ap will handle controversial issues more pastorally and less as an authoritarian. Renegade parishes and schismatics will always have to be dealt with. Hopefully the next Ap can handle those things more quietly behind closed doors instead of making so many public pronouncements. Burke could have talked to Senator Kerry in private, he could have handled the Sheryl Crow matter quietly, he could have taken a slower yet still firm approach to St. Stan. His obsession with “scandal” led him to issue too many press releases (which draw the ire of the media) instead of handling things more privately which is probably more effective in the long run.

May God bless Ap Burke and fill him with the spirit of wisdom for his upcoming assignment.

All I can think of to say about Raymond Burke’s promotion is don’t let the door hit you where the dog bit you. The man has no compassion at all, and he is not alone. Our pastor is just like him and he is driving people away from beloved our parish at a record pace.

It’s hard to love God within your faith when there are leaders like Burke making you second guess your choice. Where do these people come from???

I think this move puts Burke in a position more in tune with his skills. I’m glad for him and for St. Louis.

I don’t see how it’s Burke’s fault that parishes had to be closed. Whose fault is it? The tens of thousands of people who moved out of the city to far West or South county.

100,000 people have moved into St. Charles county in the last twenty years. They didn’t just fall from the sky - they moved out of the city. If those 100,000 people and others had stayed in the parishes where they grew up, there would be no parish closings.

Whose fault are the parish closings? All the people who left behind the parishes their parents and grandparents built. They’re the ones who sold out and moved. Don’t blame Burke for demographic shifts - at least he stayed in the city and didn’t move the cathedral to Chesterfield or Wildwood!

Jesus Christ could not please every one and neither could Archbishop Burke but like Jesus, he stood for truth. May he continue to seek God’s ways and follow Him. God Bless you Archbishop Burke.

Everyone on this blog needs to read Louis’s post. He is not a Christian and not pro-lfe, and yet he succinctly explains why Abp Burke and the Catholic Church don’t waver with the winds of changing culture! SIMPLY PUT, IF YOU DON’T LIKE THAT ARCHBISHOP BURKE UPHELD THE PERENNIAL TEACHINGS AND DOGMAS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHICH YOU CLAIM TO BE A MEMBER OF, THEN DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ALL ON YOUR WAY OUT!!!!! Also, good job, Carlos! Amen to your comment1

The people who lament Burke’s leaving are also the same people who still cannot imagine that a priest would molest a child, and hence enabled that problem in the first place. What is curious is that while people talk about Church teaching as it regards legalities and money, they forget one of the passages where Jesus was quite explicit about people who harm the most innocent: they should have a millstone placed around their neck and should be thrown into the ocean. Burke and any bishop who knowingly hid or moved a priest who molested children should be subjected to such a punishment in Dante’s Inferno.

The other aspect of Burke is that he is a throwback to a Church that will never return. The demographics are clear. We simply will not have enough priests in St. Louis in the next decade, and the crop of new priests seem to think that wearing French cuffs like Burke will earn them respect. Sorry guys, that train left the station a long time ago.

Parishes were closed because instead of following the mission of Christ and acting like missionaries to the poor and the immigrant communities of the city the leadership of the Church in St. Louis opted to follow the money to the suburbs. Sorry folks…but it is all about money.

And for as much as people talk about Burke following the “truth,” is that to say that all the bishops like Rigali, May, Carberry, Glennon, and Ritter did NOT follow the truth because they allowed St. Stans to retain a different system of organization that allowed them to retain control over their finances?

You people who talk about “truth” should study a little theology and history before you spout your sheepish ignorance.

So long. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

This is very exciting for St. Louis. Finally, the dictator will be gone. You definitely won’t be missed.

So many ignorant comments saying “it’s all about the money.”

The Church is NOT “about the money.” The work of the Church is to preach the Good News, to heal, to teach, and to reconcile. Remember the corporal and spiritual works of mercy?

The Catholic Church has done more to care for the poor than any other organization in the history of Western Civilization. For many hundreds of years, continuing today, there are Catholic hospitals, schools, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, adoption agencies, social services, and so on.

Guess what? All of those agencies that do so much to serve the people of God need MONEY to operate. How effective would a Catholic hospital be if they didn’t pay their light bill? Or if they didn’t build a new multi-million dollar Cancer center? How effective would a Catholic university be if they couldn’t pay the salaries of professors? Is it a good use of funds to keep open a parish that has only 10% of its former membership while the utility bills and maintenance costs go up and up?

Money is one of the necessary tools to carry out the mission of the Church - to serve God and God’s people.

Perhaps the new Archbishop will be more like Jesus Christ, who inspired us with His powerful example of love and compassion. I was present when the Archbishop visited a local Catholic high school. As a prank, one of the students put a “Save St. Stans” button in another student’s hand as the Archbishop walked by. The Archbishop saw the button, stopped, and demanded the name of the student who had been handed the button. Burke humiliated the student, who was not given the opportunity to explain he had the button by mistake. The Archbishop even got his assistants to call this innocent student’s home parish to request that he be refused Communion. I hope our new Archbishop is a more compassionate and understanding leader. More people are converted and won over by the powerful example of love and understanding than by a hard line approach like that of Burke.

No one can deny that the Church has done great things. But the underlying point is that Burke’s leadership, and the leadership of the American bishops, has been more about money and protecting the wealth of the church than anything else. Instead of admitting fault, guilt or responsibility for the child abuse crisis, they hid behind lawyers to protect the wealth of the church.

Instead of doing the right thing and pointing out that the white flight to places like St. Charles and JeffCo has more to do with racism than anything else, Burke and the bishops simply built more churches…and now their wont be enough priests to man them.

Suzanne,

I for one would like to know what high school graduate that was. I would like to know what school is producing graduates with such a great sense of humor.

That might be the funniest (craziest?) entry in this blog.

+1 to both cardsfan chicago and chris k - clayton. as a SLU grad, i’m happy to see AB Burke get “kicked upstairs,” regarding his stupdity regarding coach majerus. boy, didn’t Burke and Regali both seem to have it out for SLU, since they couldn’t control the university?

as a former STL Archdiocesan seminarian of nine years now residing in Chicagoland, i’d agree that folks back home don’t want any former chicago aux bishop as AB - their track record isn’t a pretty one (see: Bishop Braxton). also, as a graduate of now defunct Prep North, it’s great to see Bishop Hermann named temp archdiocesan administrator - he’s a holy man by word and example. hopefully, he’ll get the full-time gig.

regarding the posts by self-appointed “defenders of the faith:” how many of you were so quick to condemn other catholics with dissenting views, many of whom are in accord with legitimate catholic theology and social teaching! geez, are any of us going to pray to the Holy Spirit for more humility, patience, and charity today/tonight? for other folks - although AB Burke makes Cardinal George up here look good, I don’t think he ought to burn in hell. everybody, ease up on the caffeine, and everything will be OK.

hopefully, the Vatican sees the need for the new AB to have as his top priority pastoral care/”fence mending” - meaning, imparting Church doctrine (pro-life, anti-war, anti-death penalty, pro-immigration policies for the poor, empowering the poor, etc.) with compassion and care, you know, like AB May/Cardinal Ritter did. personally, i’m not too optimstic on that account….

selfishly, I know my mom in St. John is happy today!

So happy to hear that Burke is leaving St. Louis. I can only hope that ROme is as glad to get him as we are to get rid of him. Benedict can now show he is a true leader and give us a pastoral archbishop and not another bureaucrat with no feelings.

I recall Pope Benedict lamenting the declining church in Europe said the Church may become stronger by shrinking. For all those expressing glee at Arch. Burke leaving may be witnessing Benedict putting his speech into action.

Secondly, those calling for a more pastoral leader should witness the growth in vocations Arch. Burke has overseen. He is a man of his word, and his first stated priority was to increase the seminary attendance.

God Bless Him.

Abp. Burke is a great ecclesiastical lawyer……..in the New Testament, ecclesiastical lawyers are referred to as “the scribes”….as in “the scribes and the pharisees”………..not among those people that Jesus preferred to hang out with or associate with…………….he did have some words for them, though.

>>SIMPLY PUT, IF YOU DON’T LIKE THAT ARCHBISHOP BURKE UPHELD THE PERENNIAL TEACHINGS AND DOGMAS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHICH YOU CLAIM TO BE A MEMBER OF, THEN DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ALL ON YOUR WAY OUT!!!!! <<

As a theologian, trained entirely at Roman Catholic universities, I can tell you, Lindy, that there are virtually NO “perennial” teachings and dogmas. All have been interpreted, and re-interpreted, over the centuries. For that matter, there’s no “definitive” Scripture…the oldest of the Christian testament writings dates several centuries into the 1st milennium, and the oldest of the Hebrew testament to only a few centuries before the birth of Jesus. Since even these “manuscripts” contain editorial comments and corrections, how far do you think we are from the *actual* Words of Jesus?

If I were Burke I wouldnt be very proud of the seminarians. Their numbers may be up, but all he has done is re-instituted an attitude of clericalism amongst these young men who, for the most part, seem incapable of dealing with the real world, let alone women.

And let me throw this out there. I have yet to see a bishop who I would term “masculine.” Burke and the rest of them don’t necessarily seem feminine, but he seems rather asexual. I dont think that is necessarily an ad hominem argument, because they are the ones so quick to attack homosexuals.

Congratulations to Archbishop Burke! It is a bishop’s duty to educate and inform the faithful about the doctrine & tradition of the Catholic Church. When the faithful stray from these teachings the bishop must speak out. To do anything less would be neglecting his responsibility. Unfortunately too many people want an easy way out, putting little effort into doing what is right. He will be a strong and fair leader in Rome & I wish him a peaceful, happy time there.

Ginny: Are we supposed to be impressed that you are a “theologian”? That is a dime-a-dozen title in the 21st Century. Al Sharpton claims to be a theologian. For you to imply that the words of Christ as written in Scripture are dubious is simply ridiculous. Exactly how many “centuries into the first millenium” was it before the books of the Bible were constituted into the Canon of Scripture? Try three. As for the Catholic Church not having any perennial teachings and dogmas–you’ve got to be kidding! How about the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the intrinsic evil of contraception, the intrinsic evil of sodomite acts? How about the Virgin birth, the intrinsic evil of abortion? The doctrine of Pugatory? One more thing, Ginny: Archbishop Burke is the most courageous and faithful bishop in the U.S., and his having to endure the scorn of ignorant “Catholics”, as is evident on this incredible blog-site, is simply another jewel in his crown of white martyrdom. It’s people like you who help to make saints–not exactly what you had in mind, is it?

It would be nice if the next Archbishop has actually read the New Testament.

Thank god this guy is moving on.

Talk about the antithesis of open-minded and inclusive Christ-like thinking, this corporate climber did more harm than good during his short stay. Too bad he’s moving up to Rome where his close-minded philosophy will be heard on an even wider stage.

LindyR–

I’m not a theologian, and left catholic grade school under a cloud, but even I know that most of the “dogmas” you cite (pretty much anything not in the Nicene Creed) are johnnies come lately to church belief. The Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary, as I recall, first showed up in the 19th century. The things one must believe to be considered catholic are pretty much in the 10 Commandments and Nicene Creed, which says nothing about purgatory, (I believe the Apostles Creed, a simpler form, says something about Jesus descending into hell to free tormented souls, not to purgatory) birth control, abortion, sodomy, stem cells, celibacy, women priests (the early church had women deacons for sure, and women in positions of financial and moral authority), married priests, voting Republican the length of one’s skirt or meddling in affairs of state.
Even that Jesus guy said one should render under Caesar what is Caesar’s, and that his kingdom was not of this world.

The major reform of Vatican II was the installation of one’s own conscience as the supreme moral authority, and with it, the responsibility that one would have to answer for one’s actions. Neocatholics seem to forget that, as well as “judge not, lest ye be judged.”

Why is it we ‘liberal catholics’ are perfectly willing to be inclusive and call conservative Catholics (and all people of good action and intent) our brothers and sisters, but they won’t return the favor? It’s all a family squabble anyway, with Burke the strange uncle some of us would prefer to avoid.

Oh, yeah, a couple more perennial teachings of the Catholic Church: THE TRUE PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE EUCHARIST!!!!!! THE AUTHORITY OF PRIESTS TO FORGIVE…OR RETAIN SINS!!!!! THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK!!!!! THE SACRAMENTAL NATURE OF MARRIAGE!!!!! NO WOMEN PRIESTS!!!!!! Why is it that I have a sneaking suspicion that you don’t believe in many of these doctrines???? Once again, Archbishop Burke has done his job faithfully as God expects him to do. Hey, folks, there are plenty of liberal churches you can join if you don’t want to obey the teachings of the Catholic Church–by the way, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church…the ONLY Church instituted by Christ…the Church against which the gates of Hell will never prevail! Archbishop Burke is a true and loyal son of the Church!!

I did a happy-jig when I heard Burke was leaving this morning. I actually refused to take communion at a funeral service he recently presided over, because it was so crowded I couldn’t get into another line to receive it from another priest. So, I kept my seat instead.

I believe in the sacrements and in Christ’s teachings. I see A LOT of carp spewed from the pulpit, and this man in particular, that has next-to-nothing to do with Christ’s message, and even more from the so-called Christians that are now bemoaning the end of his administration. These are the very people that, had they lived in the times of Christ, would have been throwing stones (as they do virtually now) and turning their backs on the lepers. Hopefully, our next archbishop will actually act in manner befitting the term Servant of Christ. This man set a horribly poor example, for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, with his money-grabbing and divisivness, guised under the term Canon Law.

My first thought was, like the ancient Romans used to say, Promote Him and Thus Remove Him (sic). Ta-Ta, Burke.

Congratulations to the Archbishop for the incredible opportunity he has been offered in Rome. He truly deserves the opportunity. The mess that was left in his lap by previous bishops had to be solved and he responded with the truth. Sometimes it is difficult to tell people what they need to hear as they would much rather get what they want. God Bless and good luck to the Archbishop Burke in Rome.

Oh and Lindy, whether or not women should be ordained, that has nothing to do with anything Christ said. That came more than 100 years later. Mary Magdelene and Mary, Mother of God, were two who served in very much the same way as the original Apostles did in spreading the teachings of Christ. In fact, Mary Magdelene was responsible in large measure for it reaching the areas we now think of as Europe and she did so in a wholly pastoral fashion. If you are going to defend the Church, you really should study its history and know something about what you speak. It was a very, very different Church when it wasn’t so far removed from the teachings of Christ. There was no differentiation between men and women in the early Church. It was hundreds of years later, for example, that the man-made institution vilified Mary Magedelene as a prostitute reformed and then turned around AGAIN later on and rescinded that “doctrine.” Study the Church’s history, its teachings throughout the ages. It hasn’t stagnated and remained unchanged by any stretch of the imagination. Faith is faith, but ignorance is a result of the sin of laziness (sloth).

Maybe it’s just me, but has anyone else noticed that the more rabid of the Burke supporters ALL WRITE LIKE THIS!!!! As if they can shout down any disagreement by using all caps and excessive exclamation points? In fact, I’ve noticed that in other threads–how many people WRITE IN CAPS LIKE THIS!!! And barely put together coherent sentences.

Argue your point, agree or disagree strongly, but please, don’t write like you’re on drugs. Take a deep breath, think about the point you really want to make, and then make it thoughtfully and intelligently. You’ll do yourself, and your viewpoint, a favor.

Sorry for Rome, but hooray for St. Louis. Now AB Burke can throw his considerable weight around and be his own punitive self. We need a Shephard not a Despot. He did more to drive Catholics away…..that fiasco with St. Stan’s and refusing Communion to John Kerry, thus telling all the Catholics in STL to “drink the Kool-Aid” and vote for that murderer, Bush! Shame on him. Oh well, what do you expect from a man who has SMS (Short Man’s Syndrome). Good riddance.

Suzanne, wow, what a story. It seems indicative of this man’s talent for meting out overly harsh, even merciless punishments and public chastisement.

How sad that some should see him as the face of Christ. …Christ, who while on the cross, quietly begged God the father to forgive the very men who had bound, tortured and executed him while they cast lots for his few belongings. Christ, who welcomed children to him; who said we should be like them as we enter into his kingdom – not “having all the answers,” but instead, an open heart. Christ, who instead of shunning people like tax collectors (people who were disliked by all and were unwelcome to church elders, the Pharisees), broke bread with them, even while the Pharisees wrinkled up their noses in disapproval. Jesus didn’t keep those regarded as sinful from his table or presence; he ate WITH them in a spirit of fellowship and redemption.

If Jesus came to punish, berate and disenfranchise people from their faiths for not following a rigid set of rules, then, indeed, perhaps Burke is the face of Christ. I, like many others, pray for the kind of archbishop who (instead of being like the Pharisees and traditionally censuring those of whom they would disapprove), dares to truly follow Jesus and welcomes all – even those whom the church authorities would revile – to share in Jesus’ presence, grace, and love.

Archbishop Burke has damaged the Church
by being unnecessarily confrontational in his manner
and has politicized his office by in effect supporting Republicans.
I hope his successor is different but am not holding my breath.

Cathy H.: Do you know what the Eucharist is? Do you believe that it is the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ? Did St. Paul say: “Anyone who eats and drinks of the Sacrament, not examining his conscience, not discerning the Body of Christ, eats and drinks CONDEMNATION unto himself”?(sorry, Shelly, I need caps for the emphasis). If you do not believe in Purgatory and you receive Holy Communion, you have committed the mortal sin of sacrilege, because you have denied a teaching of the Catholic Church,of which you profess to be a faithful member. If you not only believe in abortion, but have a 100% VOTING RECORD (sorry, Shelly, I need the emphasis again)advocating the brutal, gruesome murder of innocent, unarmed babies whose only crime is existing–then you ARE NOT PERMITTED (sorry, Shelly, I need the emphasis)to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion!! What do you think “Amen” means when the priest says, “The Body of Christ”? It means, “I believe and affirm all that Holy Church proposes, because God has revealed it, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived.” St. Thomas Aquinas says that if a Catholic rejects ONE teaching of the Church, he rejects them all.

Sorry, Cathy M–on my screen, your name looks like Cathy H.

I took the time to research AB Burke’s actions in St. Louis and compare them to Catholic teachings and his duties as an Archbishop. Despite the public outcry and the acerbic attacks against him I learned that he was ALWAYS faithful to Catholic teaching and always charitable, and that his critics ALWAYS concocted their own faulty versions of Catholicism (inevitably a dreary and predictable “Anything Goes” Catholicism) and haughtily insisted that he implement their Catholicism.

So many misconceptions by those who hate him! And the disgrace is that these misconceptions are so easy to dispel with a little research! One example: You cannot understand the Catholic teachings about abortion and the Catholic teachings about war until you know the Catholic teaching about “intrinsic evil”.

What is an “intrinsic evil”? Something that is inherently, always, in every instance and at all times morally wrong. Never right. What is an example of an “intrinsic evil” according to the Catholic Church? Abortion. Abortion is always morally wrong.

What about war? According to the Catholic Church war is NOT an “intrinsic evil”. Each person must judge the morality of each war after studying the reasons for the war, the military tactics utilized and many other details. Thus sincere persons may legitimately disagree about the morality of a particular war. But never about abortion!

To accuse the AB, the Pope or the Church of inconsistency for criticizing politicians who support abortion but not criticizing politicians who support the Iraq war reveals an ignorance of Church teaching on “intrinsic evil”. When Pope Benedict XVI does not condemn President Bush despite the fact that the Pope opposes the Iraq war he is entirely consistent with Church teaching because the Catholic Church has never identified war as an “intrinsic evil. To ignore the distinctions the Church makes between the morality of abortion and the morality of war and then to presume to instruct the Church on these matters is arrogant.

Don’t invent bogus Catholic doctrine in your own mind and then excoriate AB Burke for not echoing your distortions. Have the integrity to inform yourself about what the Church actually teaches and THEN judge AB Burke’s actions. If you cannot accept what the Church actually teaches the honorable thing to do is to leave the Church and join one of the thousands of sects that will support you. The alternative is, like Judas, to stay in the Catholic Church so as to attack it from within. Many people have treaded this duplicitous path over the ages yet the Church prevails.

It is unjust to criticize AB Burke for, in essence, being faithful to his duty, just because you refuse to inform yourself or refuse to be honest about what his duty is.

-Bill McKenzie

Well I hope he does well in Rome and Godbless him, sure would be nice if the next Archbishop was more like Archbishop May, who left us too soon.

“The brothers of the patriarch Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred” Thomas More
We are losing a wonderful, pastoral archbishop unafraid to teach and uphold the Catholic faith here in Saint Louis. Recall the above quote when you read the diatribes against this holy man.

And at the end of the meal, he blessed the bread and the cup, and shared them with some but not all of his disciples. And to the excluded ones he said, “though hast sinned against me by eating meat on Friday, using condoms, and voting for the political candidates whom I hath condemned. From thee I withhold the gift of God’s unconditional love.” And the excluded ones quivered and were sore afraid.

…from the Gospel according to Raymond Burke

I think all the comments here prove one thing: Archbishop Burke brought division to the Church in St. Louis. I’m sure my comments will be “attacked” by some. I am an employee of the archdiocese and as such I have seen many other employees almost live in fear of Archbishop Burke. I know people employed by the archdiocese who have are afraid of losing their jobs if they are seen at certain political rallies, ordinations, or attending Mass at St. Stans. (Ofcourse there are those that say they SHOULD NOT be employed by the archdiocese in the first place. “Judge not…..lest you be judged”.) The absolute worse thing Burke could do to any of us is terminate our employment. In his statement, the Archbishop stated how he has followed his conscience during his tenure here. I have also followed mine…and will continue to do so. I have read his “official” excommunication and interdict postings in the Review and know my name could be added to the list of those “kicked out”. How many child molesters has he excommunicated?
In spite of the negative tone in this post, I do feel sorry for him. I truly believe that in his heart he believes he is doing right. I do wish him well in his new position and I pray that our new archbishop will be able to guide us in the healing process.

I cant believe that Im actually spending more time on this…

For those “orthodox” Catholics out there one thing that you have to remember is that your logic is internally valid and hence people who dont share your beliefs are not convinced by your reasoning. I am pro-life, anti-abortion and anti-death penalty. But I have friends who simply do not believe that life begins when two cells join, and I am not going to convince them by saying “Well, the Church says its true…” So to throw around words like “intrinsic evil” makes sense in a Catholic context, but you are not going to convince those who disagree with you using the distinction.

And regarding the war…you people who support the war need to read up on what is happening to our vets, who have been forced into the immoral position of killing civilians and are now paying the price with their sanity. Our government has done a great job of sanitizing the war, but if you do a little research you can find the disturbing truth…children are being killed in our names. If you cant not see that as an intrinsic evil, then you are simply drinking the Kool Aid. This war is unjust by any definition…proportionality, protection of innocent civilians, hope of success, defensive nature…not of those characteristics apply. And for the bishops not to declare as much is immoral on their part.

Pardon my typos in the previous post. I havent had my second cup of coffee.

The triumphalism of the right wing, both politically and religiously, is running out of steam. We are in for a rough ride in the next four to eight years as our society realigns…

It is really funny how people selectively choose their evidence for ”truth.” And these people also seem to think that the apostles were walking around wearing red robes like bishops and that it has always been this way. They seem to think that there has always been seven sacraments despite the fact that they developed slowly over time, and that there was a case made in the middle ages for an eight sacrament of anointing kings…glad that one didnt make the list! But, alas, I am not going to change anyones mind with silly notions as historical truth.

I again point out that regarding St. Stans, Bishops Glennon, Ritter, Carberry, May and Rigali did not call St. Stans on their different set up. Obviously they will all rot in hell. I wonder whether we will see a ”Raymond Burke High School” or ”Hospital” any time soon…if we have any Catholic high schools left in ten years.

He’s being kicked upstairs. Good riddance to this doctrinaire, addled geezer. On the other hand, the devil you know…

To PBR, i will pray for you that your anger give way to peace in your heart. Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone. Best wishes to Archbishop Burke

How do we know for sure that the church wasn’t performing an experiment to solve the priest shortage by sending Burke to St. Louis and slowly emptying the pews? My daughter and I left our church after hearing two angry and hate filled sermons this past spring. Is the church inclusive or exclusive? Pick one and stick to it and let the chips fall where they may(no pun).

Now that Raymond Burk has been appointed Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Holy See’s highest court, he can be both judge and executioner of Fr. Bozek. How convenient! Burk is a hard-liner, or in the Vatican parlance, an intransigent. History has shown that whenever the Holy See has taken a polarizing position on temporal and quasi-temporal issues, it has either lost or worse, has been simply ignored. The two recent Vatican appointments of American prelates by Joseph Ratzinger bring with them baggage that can only harm the credibility of the Vatican, as if recent events haven’t already done so. William Levada, Prefect of the once, Holy Office, has had an ambivalent, if not cloudy relationship with one Msgr. Gregory Ingles, accused of sodomizing a 15 year old boy. Levada has also supported Burk in the latter’s altercation with the lay board of St. Stan’s parish in St. Louis. Very convenient, again. If the pope thinks that by taking stand on tendentious and problematic positions will bring order and unity to the Church, he is sadly mistaken. Given the acrimony that now prevails, realpolitik and detente would seem to be the order of the day.

Way to go Bill McKenzie and Dea.It seems to me there are not many Catholics on this blog.If you are Catholic then you must follow the rules of the Catholic church.If you want a religion that allows you to do as you please then go make up your own.It’s been done many times but if you want to follow the true religion then you should be a Catholic.My opinion so don’t bother butchering me………………..

As a Catholic from another Diocese, I am grateful for Apb. Burke’s steadfast defense of Catolic orthodoxy. Now that he is the Supreme Canon Lawer of the Church, I hope he will continue to apply Canon 1378, which he skillfully used to excommunicate the women who mocked a sacrament of ordination to the priesthood, and the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith upheld. Again, now that he is in this position, I hope and pray he will help continue to purge the Church of “heterodox-cafeteria Catholics”. The Episcopal church has signs that state “The Episcopal church welcomes you”. I contend that “so-called Catholics’ (the cafeteria type) are being called to their true home, that is the Episcopal church, which affirms everything you all believe in (abortion on demand, women priestesses, same-sex marriage) and defends nothing from Apostolic Tradition.

Again, at 60, Apb. Burke will most likely be made a Cardinal and hopefully in some 18 or 19 years later (Pope Benedict will be close to 100), he will be involved in the next conclave and help elect another solidly orthodox Catholic Pope to help restore orthodox Apostolic Tradition. As Pope Benedict stated, the Church may have to get smaller and suffer persecution first, but a smaller more faithful Church will be more fruitful and letting the light of Christ shine through.

Pax Domine Christi

Congratulations to Archbisop Burke on his promotion to Italy where he will shortly join Cardinal Law in enjoying the culture of that lovely country. It is my fervent dream that many more with his qualities join him in future, so that the Roman Catholic Church will continue along the course it has been following for the past century.

If this magical purge of the Catholic Church ever takes place the only people left will be those who kept their head in the sand about clerical abuse of children and those who prefer to look past the words of Christ in favor of their own interpretation of Tradition. These are also the people who will deny that the Church has every been corrupt, and deny that it is even possible to consider that while the Holy Spirit does guide the Church, it is still run by a bunch of men who like to run around wearing dresses and red designer slippers and who are no doubt closet homosexuals. If anyone can tell me that the likes of Burke, Law, and Braxton are heterosexual…wow. Talk about denial.

This is coming from a life-long Catholic who believes in the Eucharist and the seven sacraments, believes that abortion is wrong and immoral, believes that capital punishment is wrong and immoral, believes that the war in Iraq is wrong and immoral, and believes that the measure of a true Catholic is how faithfully he or she follows the message of Christ in terms of loving one another.

And yeah, lets give Burke a medal for excommunicating a bunch of women who effectively excommunicated themselves based upon the teaching of the Church. Great job there buddy. And yet we do not hear of ANY priest who was ever brought up on charges for child molestation, nor do we hear of any bishop who followed the laws of our United States by turning in a priest who molested children to secular authorities. Again, great job there Canon lawyer.

Archbishop Burke is a very good man because he obeys and follows the Catholic teachings and when people get upset at him because they think that he tells people to vote for this person or don’t do that because it goes against Catholicism ,well thats were they are wrong the church never forces someone to obey they just advise what decisions to make to lead Holier lives.
So when Burke leaves His Holiness Pope Benedict the XIV will assign a Stronger Archbishop Burke.

With respect to SOuth Siders comments, as a a Catholic who is considers himself Traditionalist in the context of how G.K. Chesterton put it, not someone who rejects Vatican II, only the “spirit of Vatican II” interpretation that incorrectly saw VII as a “break with the Tradition” that came before it, I agree there are many priests with homosexual orientation that are in places of control across many dioceses. With respect ot Abp Burke, I don’t think that applies to him for the following reasons. The dioceses that are controlled by the “lavendar mafia” tend to be the ones with very few priests and are rampant with dissent. This is because as you pointed out, the “priestly sexual abuse of minors” scandal” is more correctly a scandal of homosexual nature. This can be easily determined if one reads the J. Jay study which pointed out that some 80-85% of the abuse was with post pubescent males from ages 12 to 17.

As for a smaller Catholic Church, Christ started basically with 12 Aposltes and his Mother Mary, and perhaps a few hundred other disciples by the end of the Gospels, and as the Christ stated in the Gosepl of St. Matthew, the “gates of hell will not prevail against the Church” (c.f. Mt 16:18). And finally, I think the biggest problem with much of the Catholic Church and society at large is the loss of a sense of sin, that is the biggest problem, I and everyone else will sin, but it seems in some quarters of the Church, there are those who want to re-define what is sin, and that is outright heretical. I would hope that all would respond to God’s Grace and grow in conversion but at the same time, I realize that many cafeteria Catholics are probably nothing more that unitarians and liberal Protestants, which ultimately based on their own doctrines and behaviors that are endorsed will self destruct as abortion on demand, same sex marriage acceptance, are theologically an attack on God and in darwinian evolutionary terminology, by their very natural don’t reproduce themselves over the long haul and within a few generations, like all heresies, die out.

Thaks Theresa et al for adding your wonderfully correct information! Lindy, there WERE women priests for a minimum of 3 centuries - perhaps as many as 9, we DO know there women deacons installed that late. Did you that celibacy for clergy has only been in effect for half the church’s life? 12th century Pope Benedict was a monk, with such a vow, and figured everyone else should have to endure it; the wives and children of priests were forced (YES FORCED, if they wanted to eat!!) into virtual slavery for their bishops, and the papal household. The Assumption - oh yeah…I love that one…right up there with the pope (who was, in 20th/21st century palance, mentally unbalanced) declaring “infallibly” that the pope speak infallibly on faith and morals…but who never in fact did make an infallible statement that his earlier teaching on the Assumption was infallible…

And those, dear one, are the ONLY 2 infallible statements! None has been made on condoms, women priests, or even abortion.

Dogma such as the Real Presence has existed since the Middle Ages (roughly have the lfe of the Christian churches) but has been interpreted a number of ways over that time.

Yeah - Nicene Creed…”I believe in the Holy Spirit,” and that’s it, because the Spirit’s divinity, role and activity was a major point of division/contnetion between the eastern and western churches…so they copped out. Sacraments - ALL of them - were defined only at the COuncil of Trent, a mere 6 centuries ago! And all have been re-defined by pre-eminent theologians (like Thomas Aquinas, my personal hero) since then, up to and including Vatican Two - an Ecumenical Council which, *by Tradition* Lindy et al!, is the highest authority in the Christian churches (ALL of them)…even higher for Roman Catholics than papal authority.

Ginny and Teresa, you go girls. It is absolutely amazing how little most catholics know about the early church. I could tell you all about the “Papal” chair, but then all those pseudo-theologians would just get nasty. I was exposed to 9 years of catholic seminary and the tales I could tell, but then, because I was not ordained, I am called a heretic. There is only so much crap that a person can swallow, especially when they want you to cover their ass!

Burke’s departure will be a breath of fresh air into the St. Louis church. I’m hoping for a bishop that can lead through example and good deeds. Burke is known for intolerance. A “my way or the highway” type of guy, that might work well in the movies, but he is the leader of the Holy Catholic Church in St. Louis. He made it seem more like the Spanish Inquistion. Church leaders like Burke, should make everyone happy that the Church doesn’t run the government.

Th new archbishop only has to look at the long list of Burke failures, to see how not to run the church.

Suzanne’s story, on page 18 of these comments, tells more about the real man than any protestation by a blue-haired old lady of Burke’s Christ-like demeanor (sp). Suzanne, if you read through these remarks and see this, I hope someone was able to reassure the young person that his behavior didn’t deserve the treatment he received. Shame on the Archbishop.

As has been pointed out before, Archbishop Burke faithfully followed Church teachings. Even when it was not popular, he did not hesitate to speak and lead as the Catholic Church required.
The Catholic Church is not a democracy. We do not vote on whether or not abortion, homosexuality or female priestess are allowed. If you follow the doctrine of the Catholic Church there is no doubt what is right or wrong. ArchBishop Burke was right and that is what he preached.
I will miss him and I just pray that our next Bishop is as “conservative” as he is.

What I learned most from Archbishop Burke is the distinction between Jesus’s life and teachings and the entity known as the Catholic Church, as upheld by people such as Archbishop Burke. Burke is all “letter of the law.” Jesus did not come for the law but to teach mercy, compassion, love. In my mind, Archbishop Burke validated the existence of other Christian religions by his lack of such qualities and his strict adherence to the letter of the law. I also saw how even people of the Church use political ploys to their advantage to get their way. The Church is not a democracy? What is Church? It is we the people.

What is funny is how the “conservative” Catholics here claim that the more liberal Catholics are guilty of being cafeteria Catholics, yet they are the ones who pick and choose and refuse to accept that Vatican II was a legitimate council. Vatican II has never been fully implemented, and this pope and John Paul II did everything that they could to build a more regal Church authority at the expense of conciliar reform. Burke is part of this attitude.

In my opinion, Rome’s loss is a big gain for St Louis! These days, with the fact that so many folks no longer have that warm and comfortable feeling about their religion, and seemingly leaving in droves, can the Catholic church really afford someone like Burke “leading” them? Can they really afford to lose people that are faithful to the real teachings of Jesus (as opposed to the narrow-minded, pick and choose teachings)? Burke seems to be, as my grandmother said, “too big for his britches.” In these troubled times, the church should be welcoming and encouraging, not driving people away. Maybe the Catholics of the archdiocese can now take a breath and get back to being true Christians as opposed to worrying about feeling the wrath of Burke (breathe wrong, or, rather, think for yourself, and you’ll get excommunicated! GASP!).
Granted, I only know about him what I read here. However, if almost everything you read is not good, one kind of gets the impression that, well, maybe, it’s a good thing he’s leaving.

There is a big, big difference between sticking to the teachings of a man-made, man-managed “church” than following the teachings of Christ. In fact, it seems the role of Jesus’ love - his ultimate message - has been downplayed by this church and the role of the canon law has been raised to the utmost importance, thereby not inspiring people to follow Christ, but instead sickening them, heart and soul, with displays of harsh punishment, corruption, greed, and empty words in the many levels of its hierarchical rule. It’s very sad.

Raymond Burke epitomized the religious legalism absolutely condemned by Jesus. I extend my best wishes to St. Louis Catholics who will be relieved of the ecclesial crap visited upon them by the outgoing AB. The future archbishop needs to quickly undo the damage inflicted by Burke on devout Catholics at St. Stan’s, St. Cronan’s, etc. May AB Burke rot in the bowels of the Vatican.!

Ginny: Sorry, “dear one”, but your interpretations of the teachings of the Catholic Church are the same old tired heresies that anti-Catholic Protestants have been re-treading for centuries. “Dear one”, it is non-debatable that the Fathers of the Church wrote with absolute clarity on the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I’m talking about the first 300 years of Christianity: St. Polycarp, St. Iranaeus, St. Clement of Rome, St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Augustine, etc… Oh, yeah, and then there was that one apostle…St. Paul… who wrote (as part of infallible Scripture): “Anyone who eats and drinks of the Body and Blood of Christ without discerning the Body and Blood of Christ eats and drinks condemnation unto himself.” Ginny, you have just exposed yourself as a heretic, who is, according to Canon Law, “a Catholic, who, after baptism, denies a truth taught by the Catholic Church”. You erroneously claim that the Sacraments were somehow “invented” at the Council of Trent, which is the usual argument of Protestants, when the Council simply defined many articles of faith which needed clarity and definition. You don’t believe in the Assumption of Mary? You even implied a bit of sarcasm and derision of that dogma in you post. Well, that also disqualifies you from legiitimate membership in the Catholic Church. Remember, if a Catholic denies one dogma of the Church, he or she has committed the mortal sin of heresy and has incurred the penalty of “latae sententiae”, or “automatic excommunication”. Why are you even pretending to be a Catholic? If someone belonged to the Jewish faith, but said that they didn’t really accept most of the teachings of Judaism, would anyone think that person’s really a Jew? It’s a joke–and the ultimate in hypocricy– to claim membership in an institution in which one doesn’t believe!! You, my dear, are a Protestant, because you protest the teachings of Holy Mother Church. Jesus said to His apostles: “He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me and Him Who sent Me.” I know you like to use the title “Catholic” as a badge of honor, as many dissenters like to do, but you are simply, by definition, not Catholic.

The Most Rev. Raymond Burke was an astute teacher and fervent pastor, the guardian of the Catholic faith that comes down from the apostles. Archbishop Burke did not falter even when mischaracterized and demonized by the St. Louis media, including the Post-Dispatch. The media wanted Archbishop Burke to do their bidding rather than the bidding of his church, whose doctrine and ethos are unique. A fervent teacher of the faith, like Christ his savior, Archbishop Burke bore all insolence and antagonisms against his person and office with great dignity. Archbishop Burke stood against the defacing and even demonic forces that attempt to rescript the Catholic Church according to their own tastes and infantile projections. In the midst of the temptation to equate Catholicism with today’s “feel good” but “be not responsible” Christianity, Archbishop Burke showed and proved that Christianity is demanding and follows a disciplined path; pointedly asserting that the Christian gospel has a cost and it is not merely directed at ensuring emotional populism. The choice of being a Catholic, one that is not at all forced but voluntary, comes with being responsible and accountable. It is to Archbishop Burke’s credit that the Holy Father, has deemed it right to elevate him to head the Roman Rota. Congratulations to Archbishop Burke, for he fought hard and may the crown of glory be eternally his, just like Christ, the prince of life and author of salvation, for the marks he bore, inflicted by the present day secular powers and interests, similar to those who crucified Christ 2000 years ago. Archbishop Burke, you have my respect. Thank you for being a spiritual leader to me in St. Louis, and also giving me the opportunity to serve the good people of St. Louis in offering care to the sick and dying. You are the kind of pastor that the church needs, and the one that Christ seeks for the sake of the salvation of souls. Ad Multos Anos!

I am very happy that Burke is leaving St. Louis. From someone with 16 years of St. Louis Catholic school education and a regular churchgoer, I have never been so disgusted with the St. Louis Archdiocese with him in charge. You would think that a leader would want to unite his people and make everyone feel welcome, rather than alienate more and more people with every move he made. Has anyone wondered why there are fewer and fewer younger people that are active in their neighborhood Parish? Many are driven away by the constant backwards thinking of the Catholic Church, and Burke made it worse.

The list goes and on and on (St. Stanislaus, Sheryl Crow, Rick Majerus, stem cell debate, etc.), but the “voting Democrat/receiving Holy Communion thing” for me was the biggest form of alienation. It seems that he should have redirected some of this polarizing energy to something more healing or unifying, such as the priest sexual abuse scandal, trying to get young people back to church, or trying to get the Catholic grade school enrollment back up.

Good luck in Rome, Archbishop Burke, and don’t let the cathedral doors hit you in the behind.

LindyR, you cant have it both ways. Do you or do you not accept that the reforms of Vatican II were legitimate or not? If not, then you deny the legitimacy of the working of the Holy Spirit through the leaders of the Church. That is not a liberal or conservative position…

Also, I dont think that Ginny was necessarily saying that she was denying the teachings that you list. I think she was merely pointing out that those teachings evolved over time, and that hence we can realistically think of those teachings as changing over time as we grow in our understanding of the message of Christ. if anything, one might even say that the entire history of the Church is one where people continually try to understand the faith…sometimes things are made more clear, sometimes they get it right, and sometimes they get it wrong.

To deny that change is the height of arrogance. And to call people heretics…well, if you deny Vatican II I suppose you are right there with the heretics. Welcome aboard.

I am curious as to how monetary contributions fared in Burke’s diocese. Durking his tenure, did funding increase from parishioners?

PBR, you really need some medical help. You are a sick individual. Calling someone a Nazi isn’t a light-hearted casual reference. Then again, you are one of those right-wing, in-the-bunker, no one-know-who-I-am survivalists. How does that fit you?

Ding-Dong the Bishop gone. The wicked Bishop gone.

I would be sorry to see that this move is a step to the papacy. We do not need lawyer popes. That happened with Innocent III, and look at that part of Church History! I agree he belongs in a court, not a pastorate.

I am saddened to read the fighting between Catholics over a bishop who, in his own words, has had to make some difficult decisions for the good order of the family. When Archbishop Burke came to St. Louis in 2004, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish ran an add in the St. Louis Review welcoming him. It ironically read, “Let us follow the bishop as we follow Christ.” When God gives a bishop to His flock, He is making His Son present among us. Even when we struggle to understand our bishop’s decisions and actions, our faith should lead us to trust that he is acting for our good.

Archbishop Burke deserves our respect. He has given us 4+ years of his life in dedicated service. I dare say there is no person in St. Louis who gives himself as fully as Archbishop Burke has to the service of God’s people. He commented in his press conference the other day that he has witnessed much personal spiritual growth in himself in his years here. I have no doubt that the suffering and persecution he has endured have led to that growth. I also know that he prays every day for his persecutors, for their conversion of heart.

Thank God for this dedicated shepherd. May he give us now a new shepherd, after His own Heart.

I think that Burke knew all along that St. Louis was meant to be a ’stepping stone’ for him to some higher post in Rome. Too bad he didn’t see fit to clue the people of St. Louis in on his aspirations. As other commentators have said, it would have been better if he had never set foot in St. Louis!

I’m glad to see him leaving but fear he’ll be replaced with someone just as bad or worse. As it’s been said before, same circus, different clown.

Here are just a couple of things that ticks me off about him and those like him:

He won’t affiliate with any person or group that has anything to do with abortion, yet he’ll allow the church to accept money from the United Way. The United Way supports abortion clinics (Planned Parenthood for one).

He says to vote pro-life, yet it’s only when it comes to abortion. How can anyone be pro-life yet vote for, or support someone that is for the death penalty, war, etc.

Many of you say he’s upholding the view of the church. If that is true, then the church is wrong too. You have to change with the times. If you don’t, you’ll end up just the way you’re heading now. Split apart and fighting between the members.

I became a new Catholic around 2000 or so, and ever since then it’s headed downhill fast. It won’t be long until I can be proud that I’m no longer affiliated with the church. Get it together or perish.

I have great respect for the ArchBishop, but since I am not Catholic, I shall not comment on his tenure in St. Louis.

Archbishop Burke was a very “conservative” leader in already potentially divisive matters of Catholic doctrine (particularly social and bioethical doctrinal policy), or rather, an ultraorthodox guardian of what the hierarchical magisterium (bishops and the Pope) call the “deposit of faith”. What will make him very suited to his new post as Cardinal Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura is his widely known ability to apply this complex knowledge to legal contexts in appeals from other ecclesiastical courts. When faced with such concerns in the pastoral area of governance, situations covering heated issues with canonical implications requires
sensitivity, which is a very delicate balance not all Catholic bishops
are capable or willing to give- whether they should or not.

It was awful of Archbishop Burke to tell the Catholics of Saint Louis the official Church stance on important positions. Didn’t he know that we would much rather make up our own minds about abortion, stem cells, homosexuality, women priestess’ and the like?
Hopefully our next Bishop won’t take any stands that might upset anyone. Just a nice middle of the road person Bishop who doesn’t upset anyone with rules, dogma or doctrine.
In fact, we should just vote on what our faith will be. Majority rules. Of course, we still want to call ourselves Catholic, but be free to pick and choose what to believe and obey.
I’d write more but I’m on my way to the cafeteria.