Authoritarianism and the Archdiocese of New Orleans

As a Catholic, I am just sickened and appalled at the way the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in New Orleans, and in particular the Archbishop, has handled the peaceful efforts by displaced parishoners at St. Henry's Church and Our Lady of Good Counsel to try to save their churches.

From the very start of this whole situation, the Archbishop has handled it very, very poorly. And now the Archbishop is using the secular police force to threaten and strongarm people who are doing nothing more than sitting in the buildings, keeping vigil, and praying. It's madness. It makes me want to become a Protestant, where the parishoners decide on their community's fate and the status of their churches.

What kind of pastor does this to his flock, even if he thinks the flock is misbehaving? The Archbishop, whose pastoral leadership has always been suspect in my eyes, and whose post-Katrina leadership has been especially appalling, has done more damage to the integrity and stability of the Catholic Church in New Orleans than ever.

If he thinks he had no choice to behave as he did because of a lack of resources to support these parishes, I can promise you he's just ensured that the Archdiocese will now have even that much fewer resources. I, for one, will not tithe to any Archdiocesan parish anymore. I'll give my money now exclusively to individual priests or to the religious orders.

More on this later ... I'm just too angry and hurt to say any more at this time.