I hope my fellow Catholics of the diocese will join me in welcoming and praying for Bishop Burbidge as he soon begins his new ministry. He will be installed as our Diocese's fourth bishop on December 6th.
Respect for the Hierarchy
The subject of diocesan bishops and episcopal appointments brings to mind an important point that I would like to make. How so many of us are quick to criticize and bishops for what may very well be clear failures of pastoral leadership or orthodoxy. But how many of us spend any real time offering prayers and sacrifices for our bishops and Holy Father? It seems right that one ought to spend more time praying for bishops than voicing criticism of them, even the most wayward ones. This spiritual support of the pastors of the church is a clear responsibility of the laity, especially toward one’s own ordinary and the Holy Father. Those who without prudence and charity, constantly harp about the faults and failures of bishops need to be much more careful, especially those who devote much time and effort with websites and organizations that routinely engage in "bashing" members of the hierarchy (Michael Voris and Church Militant TV is the example par excellence). Now this “bashing” is not the same as offering appropriate, necessary and careful criticism that does not amount to calumny or detraction. Thus we laymen must exercise prudence when we speak of the pastors of the church, even if their words or actions demand criticism. We owe them our love and respectful devotion simply by virtue of their office as successors to the apostles.
"Who is going to save our Church? Not our Bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops and your religious act like religious."
The above words by Ven. Fulton J. Sheen are often quoted. But they should not be used to justify the false idea that its the role and responsibility of the laity to police the clergy. There is definitely something to be said for well-formed laymen doing all in their power to influence the ordained to remain faithful to Christ and his Church, but based on the very structure and tradition of the church, we cannot get carried away with this notion of lay authority. We must be careful to not undermine the structure of authority in the church as Christ established it, or indirectly promote a harmful and protestant ecclesiology, whereby the authority and dignity of the episcopal office is denigrated.
We would do well to consider what Pope Leo XIII in his Apostolic Letter Epistola Tua :
"To the shepherds alone was given all power to teach, to judge, to direct; on the faithful was imposed the duty of following their teaching, of submitting with docility to their judgment, and of allowing themselves to be governed, corrected, and guided by them in the way of salvation. Thus, it is an absolute necessity for the simple faithful to submit in mind and heart to their own pastors, and for the latter to submit with them to the Head and Supreme Pastor. In this subordination and dependence lie the order and life of the Church; in it is to be found the indispensable condition of well-being and good government. On the contrary, if it should happen that those who have no right to do so should attribute authority to themselves, if they presume to become judges and teachers, if inferiors in the government of the universal Church attempt or try to exert an influence different from that of the supreme authority, there follows a reversal of the true order, many minds are thrown into confusion, and souls leave the right path."
A brief bio of Bishop Burbidge from the diocesan website.
http://www.arlingtondiocese.org/news/Pope-Francis-Appoints-New-Bishop-of-Arlington/index.aspx
Video of Tuesday's press conference following the announcement. Here it is rather apparent that he is articulate and engaging.
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