My Bishop's Better Than Yours. A critical look at The Bishop Trust Survey.
A recent survey lists our excellent Bishop Steven J. Lopes in the upper precincts in which are found those USCCB prelates most orthodox and trustworthy.
Eleven respondents. Perhaps the less than perfect score can be attributed to a certain miniature train enthusiast (and constant curmudgeon) merely looking to kick (yet again) someone else's caboose.*
While the survey gives a somewhat favourable rating for Bishop Lopes, such surveys can be notoriously biased and wildly stupid. (For context it may be useful to recall Luke 6:26 in this instant!)
Raising Cain?
Some might rightly find such Rate-Your-Bishop surveys to be cruel and vindictive. Ask any teacher or public official - police officer, nurse, store clerk - who is routinely subject to the basest forms of human behaviour - i.e., revenge for giving a student a low grade; the rantings an entitled employee passed over for promotion - by cannibals, and they will tell you that no matter how obviously irrational or misguided a comment may be, harsh words still hurt. Only a robot is immune from The mob that gathers to judge and convict a pastor should remind themselves that they, too, will be judged according to their thoughts, words and deeds.
Lies, damned lies and statistics.
Enabling cruel behaviour is itself a cruel thing. Those best to judge another's performance are those with like-credentials, a jury of one's peers, who are themselves capable of accurate, intelligent, professional assessment. Anonymous surveys play into the hands of trolls. Anonymity practically guarantees that bullies will bring readers, if not society, down to their level, to the gutter.
Who are the respondents to the survey in question? Are they qualified to judge, or are they merely tagging along hoping to derive sick pleasure from cutting into their fellow human beings so that they may feel good about themselves?
Anonymous surveys do little to educate and edify. If the hope is that some bishops may develop habitual orthodoxy, it is difficult to imagine how such a survey cannot do anything but cause some to dive deeper into their heterodoxy.
O put thy trust in God; for I will yet give him thanks, which is the help of my countenance, and my God.
That said, fraternal correction is essential for the Christian who desires to grow in holiness. Correction may sting for a bit, but so doth a vaccination against disease stab at thine arm.
If thy brother does thee wrong, go at once and tax him with it, as a private matter between thee and him; and so, if he will listen to thee, thou hast won thy brother. If he will not listen to thee, take with thee one or two more, that the whole matter may be certified by the voice of two or three witnesses. If he will not listen to them, then speak of it to the church; and if he will not even listen to the church, then count him all one with the heathen and the publican.
In order to temper judgement, it may be useful to see the Bishop Trust Survey as an expression of desperation by those who lovingly desire to protect souls and who are zealous in their mission to reorient the Church to orthodoxy. We cannot, however, lose our own souls in wrath even while trying to prod others to turn away from sin. The task of renewal must be ongoing, thorough and saturated with charity, and those so-inclined to defend the Faith must keep in mind the welfare of all souls, especially those in most need of God's mercy.
One thing may be for certain: if our hierarchs (and we laity!) don't strive with greater dedication to "worship God in the beauty of holiness" (Ps. 96:9) by living and breathing orthodoxy, by being fully configured to Jesus Christ and His teaching, we can expect a lot more "sorrow, frustration, anger, disappointment and disgust" to find expression in not only online surveys but also in protests at the doors of churches and bishops' residences.
One Our Father.
Three Hail Marys.
One Glory Be.
Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust down to hell Satan and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
* An obscure reference to (and gentle jab at) a critic of the Ordinariate whose own caboose at times detaches itself from the train of rational thought.
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