Outspoken Conservative Catholic Abruptly Resigns Post as Bishop

When Scranton, PA Bishop Joseph Martino went into the Vatican recently it was not so much a social call as the end of his career. This past Monday Bishop Martino tendered his resignation 10 years before the mandatory retirement age in the Catholic Church. It is unlikely that his resignation was voluntary. The vocal critic of the Democratic Party in the United States, especially pro-choice politicians, has begun to anger many within the Catholic faith including many of his own parishioners...When Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania invited an openly gay writer to speak at their university, Bishop Martino was vocal in his condemnation.

[RICK OCONNOR]

too bad I am suer he can get a job with mcdonalds ,you want friers with that.

[LiIrabbitfoofoo]

I find this interesting from the article.

"For many, including many in the clergy, the Catholic Church should stay out of politics. They remember a time when Catholics were seen as being evil people who sacrificed children on their altars. Even some of this anti-Catholic sentiment remains in America today with many Christian Conservatives perpetuating many of those same beliefs that once threatened to derail the presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. There was also a time when the Catholic Church paid out of politics outright, and any priest who openly attempted to interfere in politics was removed from their parish and sometimes from the clergy. It is possible that Pope Benedict is beginning to understand the risk that he faces in trying to get involved not only in American politics, but the politics of the Western world. In recent months Pope Benedict has been trying to come to some accommodation with the Obama Administration regarding various policies and is trying desperately to extricate itself from the political scene before too many Catholics walk away from the church."

http://lezgetreal.com/...

Strikes me that its too late. Too many are seeing the hypocracy and leaving.

[writewingproxyco ntin]

I find that analysis unconvincing without further sources. Hitler Youth Pope Nosferatu has shown no reluctance to have braying, politically active, ultra conservative agents in place.

Maybe there was more pedo mishandling after the fact in Scranton. The RCC understands it can't appear, at any rate, to be bungling around on that score anymore. Not in the US, anyway.

[Sheldon]

I suspect he's not retiring, but being reassigned to a less visible post...like overseeing a seminary or a papal library.