They acknowledge what they see as the good the cardinal has done, but then say he has to go. Their praise of the cardinal shows that they see the Church as little more than a social service agency and not the Bride of Christ and the Kingdom of God.
It is with a heavy heart that we write to request your resignation as Archbishop of Boston. We have valued the good work you have done here in Boston including, but not limited to: your advocacy for the homeless, your outreach to the Jewish community, your opposition to capital punishment, and your leadership in welcoming immigrant peoples. However, the events of recent months and, in particular, of these last few days, make it clear to us that your position as our bishop is so compromised that it is no longer possible for you to exercise the spiritual leadership required for the church of Boston.
As leaders of many of the parishes that make up this Archdiocese we hear from the people their call for a change in leadership. The revelations that have come to light a few days ago challenge the credibility of your public statements. The people of this Archdiocese are angry, hurt and in need of authentic spiritual leadership. We believe that despite your good work in the past you are no longer able to provide that leadership.
While this is obviously a difficult request, we believe in our hearts that this is a necessary step that must be taken if healing is to come to the Archdiocese. The priests and people of Boston have lost confidence in you as their spiritual leader.
Their list of the good deeds accomplished by the cardinal sound like the agenda of any left-leaning advocacy group. What about pro-life work, i.e. abortion? Eucharistic sacramentality? Anything explicitly Catholic? I’m not saying the things listed are bad, just that, in the grand scheme of things, the listed items are the B-list.
