Jumping to Conclusions

I know, I'm too far behind for the journalistic standards of the blogosphere, but I wanted to address this story about Archbishop Robert Weakland (emeritus of Milwaukee) - the revelation that his soon-to-be-published autobiography includes him speaking frankly about his struggles with homosexuality.

Of course, the Catholic blogosphere was abuzz with the expected critiques.  How sadly unsurprising, that a liberal bishop already in scandal who did great harm to the Liturgy (though his social justice works were good) throws into his autobiography accolades for the gay lifestyle, they all seemed to say.

I suspend real judgment until I've read the book (which I intend to do this summer, with a review to be posted here).  I do believe that Catholics who are promoting such things have a significantly flawed understanding of what it means to be Catholic, and a bishop doing so is doubly scandalous (meant in the Biblical sense, i.e., leading others to sin).

But here I take the Archbishop at his word.  He says that the book discusses "his struggles".  That's good.  We all have struggles, and it's important for us as humans to understand each others'.  What will make or break the book is how he portrays those struggles: as a natural struggle which he tried to overcome (falling repeatedly, but always getting back up to try again), or as an imposed struggle to which he would not have been bound had the Catholic Church only wisened up and got with the times.

I look forward to the read.  I will do my best not to judge this book by its cover.