'They Forced Me to Become Bishop'

Ask any Catholic bishop if he sought the job of bishop, and in mock humility he'll always vehemently deny it. A classic example of this was seen in the Aug 13 issue of 'The Catholic Universe Bulletin,' the newspaper of the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, in an article titled, "25 Years a Bishop - Bishop Pilla Works to Discern God's Will for the Local Church."

The article is about Bishop Anthony Pilla's 25th anniversary of becoming a bishop, and is chock full of the false self-abasing every Catholic bishop says about himself with regard to him being a bishop.

You'll never hear a Catholic bishop say he ever wanted to become a bishop, he'll always claim it was thrust upon him, and Pilla is no different! The article reported:

"When Father Anthony Pilla heard in June 1979 he was being named an auxiliary bishop in Cleveland, no one was more surprised than he. In fact, he said, there was not the least indication he was under consideration for anything..."

Comment - "No one was more surprised than he." This is a lie. Pilla spent the five years before 1979 working directly under the previous bishop of Cleveland as Secretary for Services to Clergy and Religious. I'm sure he had some "indication." Also:

"'I never thought about becoming a bishop. I was looking forward to being a parish priest...Although I didn't expect it, didn't pursue it, don't need it, I felt obligated to do it,' Bishop Pilla said."

Yeah......sure......every Catholic bishop will say he just wanted to be a humble parish priest. Catholics, ex-Catholics, and even Catholic clergy know better. Anyone who ever spent time in the Catholic Church has seen these guys like Pilla schmoozing, bootlicking, politicking, and angling for that bishop's mitre! For Catholics it's actually quite humourous watching these priests debase themselves striving for that bishop's throne.

Catholics privately chuckle about this trait of their bishops. But may God use it to open the eyes of Catholics to see the phony nature of the office of Catholic bishop, and may God grant Catholics the grace to confess Catholicism as sin, reject Rome, and to receive Christ by faith ALONE for the full and free forgiveness of sins - no Catholic bishop or priest needed.