Who is this man and why haven't I posted his story?

Over the past couple of weeks I devoted a fair amount of space here to the pope's lifting the excommunication of the four schismatic SSPX bishops and in particular to Richard Williamson, the Holocaust denier. That was an amazing story on many levels. What caught my attention, in addition to the obvious issues involved, was the failure of the Church to handle such matters in a fashion that might have mitigated the backlash of such a public relations nightmare.

I did not post or comment on the story of Austrian Auxiliary Bishop-elect Gerhard Wagner whose appointment to the episcopacy so riled Austrian Catholics that the bishops of the country called an emergency meeting to discuss how to handle what seemed to be an impending exodus from Catholicism - in response to this priest's being named bishop-elect. (Seems the priest had publicly condemned the Harry Potter series as satanic and had said that Hurricane Katrina was divine retribution for New Orleans' sexual sins.) The bishop-elect has signaled his desire to have Rome withdraw his name as a candidate for the episcopacy. (Rocco has the story with links here.)

Nor did I post on the news that allegations of sexual improprieties attributed to Marcial Maciel Degollado, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ, now appear to be confirmed. (Again, Rocco has the story.)

Why have I not posted on these two stories?

When I reached the 100,000 hit mark last week, I did some reflecting on my work here and its future. I'm going to take a slight turn in direction and do less posting on stories like the ones mentioned above. I make that choice for several reasons. Stories like the tale of Richard Williamson update quickly and more frequently than I have the time time to follow and report. And since other blogs do a better job on these items there's no need for me to duplicate (i.e., link to) their efforts here.

I'd prefer to concentrate on offering what I hope is my contribution to the Catholic corner of the blogosphere. For instance, I hope to offer a daily post through the days of the Lenten season, beginning on Ash Wednesday. Such a series takes time, during one of the busiest seasons of a pastor's year. To offer such reflections and to faithfully be attentive to the regular demands of ministry is my goal and with other blogs and sites covering Church news so well, I'll be content to simply point my readers to good sources.

Just wanted to let you know.

P.S. Another story not heretofore posted by CP: Nancy Pelosi meets the pope. Check Rocco's report.

-ConcordPastor