Final Thoughts on Bishop Lennon's Closing of Churches in the Dioces of Cleveland

I have been an active, practicing Catholic for 6 decades. My family has been Catholic probably from the days of St. Patrick and St. Brendan in Ireland, some 1500 to 1600 years! I attended Catholic grade school, St. William's, high school, St. Joe's, and college, the University of Notre Dame. I have continued to read on theological and religious issues my entire adult life. In other words, I have some level of authority to talk about my Church, a Church I love and treasure.

I think a stealth effect of Bishop Richard Lennon's closing of 50+ parishes (some historic treasures!) is a loss of faith in the structure of the Church. To think that bishop has the power to arbitrarily do such a thing, with no need to consult, no real mechanism to appeal, no checks and balances to his enormous power. It is as if the bishop is a feudal prince. It is said all the time that the Church is no democracy. Wow, that is an understatement! It strikes me that the Church is un-American, so contrary to many of our core values. Again, I know that the Church does not have to be American. Really, it should be better than America, more just, better behaved, more principled. The Church is no democracy, but during mass today, with attendance so stunningly sparse that our pastor commented on it in the homily, I wonder if people are voting with their feet.

I fear for the future of the Church that I love.