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!