06.27.2008 7:46 am
Burke leaving St. Louis for Rome; what’s next for the local Catholic church?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
After a relatively brief, and somewhat stormy tenure as archbishop of the Catholic church in St. Louis, Raymond Burke is leaving. He’s expected to remain until a bit later in the summer, when he moves to Rome for his position as “Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature.”
Burke’s time in St. Louis has been marked by a number of controversies. He has condemned the ordination of “women priests” by another faith community. He has been in a battle over control of St. Stanislaus Church in St. Louis. He said he would not offer communion to politicians who do not stand by Catholic church doctrine.
What does his departure mean for the church here now? What are the qualities you’d like to see in his successor?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
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.