The work of running the church goes on.

A reality check for “progressives” and the media who thought Pope Benedict was just going to be a nice little interim pope. This guy can administrate. And that’s really what we need and it was one area where our beloved John Paul II wasn’t as strong as perhaps he could have been. Nonetheless, Janette, a friend and reader brings this to my attenion and asks for my comments.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican is consolidating plans for the much-anticipated apostolic visitation of U.S. seminaries, viewed by church officials as a crucial part of the response to the priestly sex abuse scandal.

Officials now expect the visitation to begin in the fall of 2005 with the start of the school year, sources in Rome said in December.

The Vatican is expected to publish soon an “instrumentum laboris” or working questionnaire that is about three pages long. It will act as an outline for the visits to more than 100 seminaries and other institutes of formation, which are expected to take several days each.

Already, the names of approximately 75 bishops and 100 priests who will carry out the visitations have been submitted and discussed by U.S. and Vatican officials. A facilitator to coordinate U.S.-Vatican contacts also will be chosen.

Sometime before the process begins next fall, the Vatican expects to publish a long-awaited and potentially controversial document on whether candidates with homosexual inclinations should be admitted to the priesthood.

The document on homosexuality has been in the works for more than five years. An early draft of the document took the position that homosexuals should not be admitted to the priesthood; in its current form, the document takes a more nuanced approach to the whole issue, sources said.

To the seminary thing I say GREAT!! About time. WOO HOO!! Seminarians, parents, and others discerning a vocation need to know that when they go to the seminary they are going to get an authentic Catholic formation, and not be challenged very step of the way by a Sister Chittister wanna-be! They should be allowed to pray the rosary, have adoration, study the scriptures all openly without doubts and ridicule. Watch the Vatican crack down, and watch vocations soar – that’s my prediction.

I also think that docment on homosexuals in the priesthood is needed and I look forward to seeing it. Clearly the status quo (which seemed a lot like the Army’s don’t ask, don’t tell) is about to change and I think that’s a good thing too.

I don’t think Pope Benedict is going to be a tyrant, but I do think he is going to do the quiet, difficult administrative jobs that need to be done. It’s going to be interesting to watch.

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