June 2, 2012 – Catechism 1554 – 1561

I am not sure if we are going to get into what a Cardinal is, but they are still only Bishops.  There is no step higher than that.  The Pope is the Bishop of Rome.  The Bishops form a very important part of the Church and specifically their diocese.  As it says, they are the presence of Christ to their flock.  Our Bishop is someone we should look to for leadership, teaching, guidance, and care.  That is why some of the actions taken by Bishops over the last 40+ years has hurt the Church so badly.  Whether it is the sex abuse scandals, liberalizing of Church teaching on Contraception, or support of the homosexual lifestyle, when a Bishop leads that way down a path contrary to Church teaching he is leading a very large flock.  It is the epitome of scandal, not only for his flock, but those that watch what he does and thinks that because a Bishop allows it, it must be ok.  That is why it is so refreshing to have all the Bishops in line behind this new push against the Obama mandates.  As we go on, we need to pray that they stay united and that the chinks in the armor don’t start to show because only staying united will allow us to move forward.  And that doesn’t mean that the mandate may change and it may not mean that things will look bright for Catholics, but regardless of what is in store, having the Bishops united will bring the Church through whatever is coming. 

I have heard that every Bishop has a document that has every ordination that links him back to one of the Apostles.  I don’t know if that is true or not.  I’d be curious if anyone would want to weigh in.