Archbishop Raymond Burke and his Successor in St . Louis, Missouri Archdiocese.

Archbishop Emertis Raymond Burke and his successor as Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri Archdiocese is the subject of this Big B File. 

•         On June 27th, 2008, it was announced that Archbishop Raymond Burke was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the new Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Roman Catholic Church’s equivalent of Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. At that moment, he ceased being the Archbishop of St. Louis, MO (photo on the right courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com).
         The Big B Files Reminds everyone that nobody knows who the new Archbishop of St. Louis will be before the official announcement is made by the Vatican, with the exception of the Holy Father (Pope Benedict XVI) himself and God. When you try to come with whom you think the new Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri Archdiocese will be, the Big B Files believes you the following factors should be taken into consideration:

  • Archbishop Emertis Raymond Burke himself – Keep in mind that at at the press conference, the Archbishop said that he would be consulted by Pope Benedict XVI himself on who the new St. Louis Archbishop will be.  The Short List will more than likely include include the Bishops Archbishop Raymond Burke suggested to the Holy Father, which leads me to factor number two.
  • Archbishop Emertis Raymond Burke’s Views and Stances – it is impossible the next Archbishop will be exactly like Archbishop Burke ….we do not clone people (Thank God) and there is only one Archbishop Raymond Burke. It would more be someone who has stances and views on moral issues, including the application of Cannon Law, closely aligned to (if not exactly like) Archbishop Burke.
  • Was Never a St. Louis Archdiocesan Priest – Of All the Priests who have served as Archbishop of St. Louis, not a single one was ever ordained and served as a Diocesan Priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. All the St. Louis Archdiocesan priests who have gone on to become Bishops and lead Dioceses have done so someplace else other than St Louis.

   

          Using the above factors, the Big B Files believes that the following Bishops (among others) can be ruled out as possible replacement for Archbishop Raymond Burke.

• Bishop George Lucas (Springfield, IL Diocese) – Bishop Lucas has led the Springfield, IL Diocese since 1999. I have had the pleasure to know Bishop Lucas since shortly after his arrival. Before becoming Bishop in Springfield, Bishop Lucas was the Rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, the official Seminary for the St. Louis Archdiocese …More.
• Bishop Robert W. Finn (Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO Diocese) – Has led the Diocese ofKansas City-St. Joseph, MO Diocese since 2005 and has become one of the most outspoken bishops in the United States, next to Archbishop Burke. Before coming to Kansas City, MO, Bishop Finn was the Director of Continuing Formation of Priests and Editor of The St. Louis Review (the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Louis) …More.
• Archbishop Timothy Dolan (Milwaukee, WI {soon to be Archbishop of New York, NY}) – Click here for more on Archbishop Dolan.

       The Big B Files believes that the replacement for Archbishop Burke will be a bishop who will take stands very close to, if not the same as, Archbishop Raymond Burke. The pastoral methods will be close to those of Archbishop Burke, as well as the application of the Code of Cannon Law (CCC). Some examples include Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, AL Diocese and Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO (if Pope Benedict XVI decides to change precedent and appoint him). Hopefully, the Holy Father will appoint a new Archbishop for St. Louis soon (Click here for Archbishop Burke’s farewell to the St. Louis Archdiocese).
       Hey . . . look on the bright side. It was almost two years (one year and ten months) from the time Cardinal Edward Egan submitted his Resignation (Retirement) Letter to Pope Benedict XVI until Archbishop Timothy Dolan was appointed to replace Cardinal Egan . . . try waiting that long for a new Archbishop to be named to your Archdiocese!
       And that’s the Big B Files. Click on the comments link below and tell me what you think . . . I’m Bryan Hewing.