Parish Protests Weakland Confirmation Plans

Interesting. What is most interesting is that Archbishop Weakland would even put himself in this position. What is even sadder is that the associate pastor is making his parishioners to be the bad guys because they are unforgiving! Unforgiving? How about the Archbishop showing a little penitence by staying in a monastery and not performing publicly? Forgiveness is a Christian mandate but so is penitence...If those accused of misusing church funds and carrying on sexually want to stand up in front of the congregation to model their piety let them do it as penitents!



Don't blame the parishioners, Father...have you read the papers lately?



From Post-Crescent - Former archbishop decides to withdraw from service:



"A Brookfield Catholic church has canceled plans to have retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland administer the sacrament of confirmation after parishioners objected and threatened to protest.



The Rev. Leonard Van Vlaenderen, an associate pastor at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, said the parishioners were still upset over a $450,000 settlement the Milwaukee Archdiocese paid a man who claimed he was sexually assaulted by Weakland.



Weakland, who had reached the Vatican's mandatory retirement age of 75 when the deal became public in 2002, later admitted an inappropriate but consensual sexual relationship with a man.



In a letter to the parents of about 130 teenagers preparing for confirmation, Van Vlaenderen said he was disappointed by the lack of Christian forgiveness that was shown.