Bishop Taylor's Press Conference

One segment of Bishop Taylor's address particularly stood out to me:

"...being a faithful Christian requires more than just saying prayers, obeying the Commandments and trying to get your own soul into heaven. If you're only interested in your own spiritual welfare in the next life, you don't really believe in the redemptive power of the cross of Jesus Christ."

He makes it very clear, in his first words as Bishop-elect of Little Rock, that he is a bishop not for his own welfare, but for the souls of all of us, the sheep of his flock. This is exactly the duty of a bishop, and he has embraced it already.

• Audio of the press conference. (26 minutes)
• Bishop Taylor's statement• Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran's statement. Archibishop Beltran is the Archibishop of Oklahoma City, the home diocese of Bishop Taylor and the Archdiocese to which Little Rock belongs.
• Msgr. Gaston Hebert's, administrator of the Diocese of Little Rock, statement.

We have a bishop!!!

Subiaco's diocese, the Diocese of Little Rock has been without a bishop longer than any other diocese in the United States. That ends today! Although, he is not technically a bishop until his upcoming ordination and installation, Father Anthony B. Taylor has been named as the seventh bishop of Little Rock by Pope Benedict XVI.

There will be plenty to read and learn about bishop-elect Taylor over the next few days, but for now, here is a start:
• Statement from the diocese
• Bishop-elect Taylor's biography

Sad news from the Diocese

You might be seeing in the news today the story that six sisters from Hot Springs, Arkansas were formally excommunicated by the Catholic Church yesterday. I wanted to take a second to explain a few things about excommunication.

To be excommunicated requires the person in question to choose excommunication. It is not a forced punishment, but the result of a person's choice to stay on the wrong path.

In this particular case, the sisters belonged to a Canadian group that the Church had declared to no longer be in communion with the teaching of the Church (i.e. ex-communicated). The diocesan administrator, Msgr. Gaston Hebert, gave the sisters one week to consider their choice between membership in the society or in the Church. If after one week they still chose the non-Catholic society, they would be considered excommunicated.

The Church never wants to resort to excommunication. The Church always hopes that when this choice is presented to someone, that person will choose the Church. But just as with any group, if a member is not willing to follow the guidelines of that group, they have effectively removed themselves from it. The Church is saddened by these events, but if we hope to maintain the integrity and unity of the Church, it is sometimes necessary.

Here are several links if you would like to read more about this particular case:
• Arkansas Catholic Newspaper Article
• Diocesan Press Release
• Declaration from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith