When Father Phillips received a couple of requests for the papal decree on his Facebook page, his response was, "The decree was communicated to Bishop Lopes. We have not received a copy."I think I've made it clear here that I'm on the side of the Church and its bishops, including both the bishops in question in the OLA fracas. I see no reason to question that Bp Lopes received the decree as he's represented it.
But as I reported from the alternate universe in my last post, if things had been just a little bit different, the OLA parishioners -- or at least, the angry mainstream -- would have been blaming Bp Lopes for what they might well have seen as an unsatisfactory outcome for their Fr Phillips. This could well have included demands to see the actual text of the decree. Instead, they're fawning over their Fr Phillips on his Facebook page and giving copious thanks to the Almighty.
The very, very worst that could have happened to Fr Phillips as of January 2017 would be that he'd have been shunted into some inconsequential post or forced into retirement as a priest in the archdiocese. Instead, in a face-saving move, he's being eased into inconsequential duties, followed by early retirement, at an expedited pace as a priest in the OCSP. The difference is a matter of months and a transitional title.
Nobody among OLA's angry mainstream seems to have figured this one out. This goes to what I'm beginning to recognize is the strong rational appeal of Catholicism, which seems largely to have been missed in the culture at large. As Aquinas puts it, sin, including pride and anger, dulls the intellect. These folks have been had, and it's amusing!
UPDATE: From a visitor:
In essence, the outcome to all of this seems the same as the intentions Fr. Steenson was reportedly overheard to have uttered while in the airport pickup ride in 2012: remove Fr. Phillips in 1 year. What do all the Bishops know that the cool-aid drinkers don't?
