1 Kings 13:1
And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
This passage marks a new phase in God's revelation: the moment when the prophets really begin to come into their own as a distinct voice in Israel in opposition to corrupt officialdom. Yes, there had been "rebel prophets" before, chewing Saul out (as Samuel did) and chewing David out (as Nathan did). But now Israel (the apostate kingdom to the north) and Judah (the increasingly faithless kingdom in the south begin to get battalions of these people, showing that the voice of God and the voice of raw political power are not identical. Sometimes the man of God must speak truth to power whether in Bethel, Washington DC–or Boston, Tucson, and Palm Beach. That is why it was right to dare to say "Enough!" to abuse of adolescent boys by homosexual clergy and tolerance of (and horrifyingly, even participation in) this abuse by their superiors. Those who did weren't be popular, but they were doing the right thing. This does not mean that bishops are mere politicos. The sacrament of ordination is a vastly different thing than a democratic election. They remain our fathers through the sacrament of ordination and we must desire their healing and salvation. But ordination does not mean a man is less accountable, but more. A very deep sea and a very heavy millstone awaits the necks of men who do not begin to clean this Augean stable and it is the duty of every Catholic to say this out loud and without equivocation. Today, speak.
