Yesterday morning, Bishop William Callahan was appointed by Pope Benedict to be the next bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse. He is currently an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The La Crosse diocese probably will not notice much a change from its two previous bishops, Burke and Listecki.I find this to be a disappointing move on behalf of Pope Benedict. Callahan is almost as far away from the Vatican II mold of bishop as can be found. He views the Church in a state of persecution from the world at large. As such, it would be very appropriate for the closing hymn of his installation mass to be "Onward, Christian Soldiers," which he has referenced in the past. In contrast, Vatican II presents a vision in which the Church that can be in dialogue with the world. Nevertheless, Callahan does not see himself as a diplomat for the Church, but a soldier.
For those in La Crosse that really liked their previous bishops, they should be very happy with their new bishop. For those who did not like their previous bishops, I feel great sorrow. I would like to think that Callahan will be a bit less ostentatious in his conservatism and may have learned something from Timothy Dolan's style, but only time will tell.
A Faithful Catholic
