Yesterday, even as the MSM were glosting over the case of the Norwegian bishop, the regular Vatican announcement for the day also announced the resignation of a Canadian bishop under the same Canon Law provision that the Norwegian bishop did - which does not, of course, mean that the specific cause for the resignation was necessarily sexual abuse. Both reports I've seen so far from the Canadian media do not hint at all that the resignation may have had to do with sexual abuse, which I find very commendable. Here is how his hometown newspaper in St. Catharine's, a city in the Niagara region of Canada, reported it:
Bishop Wingle steps down
April 7, 2010
The head of the St. Catharines diocese of the Roman Catholic Church has unexpectedly stepped down.
Few details about Bishop James Wingle's resignation have been released. According to the Vatican Information Service, the pope accepted Wingle's resignation this morning.
Wingle, who was appointed as the local Bishop in 2002, issued a short letter to the diocese saying he was taking a sabbatical "centered on prayer and personal renewal" and that he no longer than the stamina to meet the demands of bishop.
Wingle, a staunch public defender of Catholic orthodoxy, was a key figure in organizing World Youth Day in 2005 during the visit of the late Pope John Paul II.
A diocese administrator will be appointed in about a week who will assume the duties of the bishop until permanent replacement is appointed by the Vatican.
[The paper then goes on to publish the full text of Fr. Wingle's letter.]
Here's how a Canadian news agency reported the news:
Bishop Wingle steps down
By GRANT LAFLECHE
April 8, 2010
Betty Ghiendoni could barely get the words out when she heard the news.
"I'm shocked. I'm just ... I'm shocked," she said Wednesday afternoon when she learned Bishop James Wingle, the head of the St. Catharines diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, had left his post.
"I really liked him," said Ghiendoni, a member of the Holy Rosary Catholic Women's League. "We need something to hang onto. A pillar. That is what Bishop Wingle was to us. A pillar for the church."
The Vatican announced early Wednesday the Pope had accepted Wingle's resignation. Under Church law, a bishop can leave his post if he is "less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause."
Wingle, who could not be reached for comment, released a short statement to the diocese Wednesday saying he did not have the energy his duties require, though he was not specific about any health issues.
"My decision to offer my resignation was the result of a long and intense process of prayer and reflection," Wingle wrote.
"The duties of the office of a diocesan bishop call for vigorous stamina to meet the challenges of leadership. I am no longer able to maintain the necessary stamina to fulfill properly my duties. I believe that my resignation will serve not only my own spiritual and personal well-being, but the good of the diocese and the Church as well."
Wingle, who was made the Bishop of the diocese in 2002 replacing Bishop John O'Mara, wrote that he was going on a sabbatical of " prayer and personal renewal."
"If my shortcomings and limitations have caused any disappointment, I ask for God's mercy and your understanding."
Wingle is a staunch defender of Catholic orthodoxy, and did not shy way from making public statements about the church's position on everything from sexuality to politics to popular culture.
In 2006, for example, Wingle openly chided politicians who backed legislation permitting homosexual marriage in Canada, warning of "moral chaos and confusion" if the law was not changed.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 08/04/2010 19:55]