If you live in the St. Louis area, you’ve already heard this story. If you don’t live here, read on.
The Archbishop of the St. Louis Diocese, Raymond Burke, is well known for his uncompromising views on Catholic doctrine and his flat-out inability to make his case without sparking an uproar. Among other grating acts, Burke once criticized a local Catholic hospital for inviting pro-choice singer Sheryl Crow to perform at a fundraiser.
Burke’s latest target is Rick Majerus, who recently dared to publicly support Hillary Clinton and state his pro-choice and pro-stem-cell positions, while he also happens to be head coach of the basketball team at St. Louis University, a locally and nationally prominent Catholic institution.
Despite Burke’s power and position, Majerus is not backing down, and I suspect the b-ball coach will eventually prevail, for three reasons:
1. The St. Louis community — including its sizable Catholic population — prefers Archbishops with a certain level of decorum and diplomacy and has, frankly, had its fill of Burke. (An online poll, available at the page linked above, has a 77% percent super-majority siding with Majerus.) While the Catholic Church is not known for sensitivity to public opinion, it has bigger fish to fry than this dispute, and it could use all the good will it can muster.
2. St. Louis University is run by Father Lawrence Biondi, a superb administrator and formidable intellect who also happens to be politically linked and savvy (to a similar degree that Burke is not). Biondi also has a certain, shall we say, “fortitude” that makes grown men flinch. Though he may not be public about it, I doubt Biondi will roll over to Burke on this matter, regardless of their respective positions with the Church’s heirarchy.
3. Majerus’ lifetime coaching record is 423-147. He’s a winner and, religion-schmeligion, college basketball means money and money talks.
Regardless of which or all or none of those factors finally settles the matter, I’m pulling for Majerus … and I’m Catholic, at least for now.