California Cleanin’: Conservative Appointment In California Diocese

California Cleanin': Bishop Robert Vasa.

Very good news from Whispers in the Loggia.

Bishop Robert Vasa, head of the Diocese of baker and former top aide of Bishop Bruskewitz (you can’t come with better credentials than those) has been appointed coadjutor to Bishop Walsh of Santa Rosa’s diocese. This clearly means that Vasa is Walsh’s successor when the man retires in two year’s time.

The contrast is striking. Walsh is one of those bishops California produced so well in the past, whilst Vasa – to quote Rocco Palmo – “comes with an enthusiastic national following on the Catholic right”. Please savour the words “enthusiastic”, “national”, “following”, “Catholic” and “right” as Italians do with good grappa, letting it descend very slowly through the throat, carefully, a few drops at a time. It enhances the experience.

Whilst one can’t say that Pope Benedict’s appointments will earn him much praise once he is gone (the trend has been rather to appease the old sixty-eighters and the local potentates, leading to people like this colourful chap bringing shame and disrepute on the Church), here and there some brilliant decision is clearly visible; in this respect, California seems to be considered by the Holy Father in particular need of repair, as the appointment of the rather conservative Gomez for Los Angeles in substitution of Mahony shows.

Bishop vasa is the kind of Bishop mentioning the possibility of excommunication for dissenting Catholic politicians; or clearly saying that being in favour of abortion is a “disqualifying factor” for a candidate; or criticising openly the modern fashion of bishops’ statements that appease everyone, mean nothing and can be interpreted as one likes best.

This is one carved out of the right wood, and no mistake.

Mundabor