Just so I'm not always a grump

This is TOTALLY boring but still worth noting: The Vatican has appointed two bishops, one to San Francisco, the other to Nashville. Both are interesting for a couple of reasons.

To San Francisco goes Salt Lake City bishop George Niederauer, a classmate of LA's Cardinal Roger Mahony and a moderate who is both intelligent (he has an earned doctorate in English) and pastoral; even the GLBT community is San Fran is cautiously optimistic. Under JPII Niederauer was an unlikely promotion, and he has commented recently that the new Vatican instruction on gay priests has more to do with the need for emotional maturity than homosexuality. I still say that's spin, but at least it's the good kind.

In Nashville David Choby, pastor of a church in Gallatin, Tennessee and curent diocesan administrator, has been named bishop. Why is that unusual? He's a priest of the Nashville diocese, and of late bishops have been coming from all over, more often than not from way outside the diocese. Don't know if this is just a fluke, but to my mind this is a good sign, an assertion of a more "local" approach to church rather than a relentless focus on the "universal." It makes sense that a local bishop should come from his own diocese whenever possible.

So, sorry this is without humor, acid, and irony, but if this approach to naming bishops continues, it would be a good sign indeed.

Now if we could get back to having the local church choose its bishop...