St. Louis' new archbishop has reputation as conservative

ST. LOUIS -- Archbishop-elect Raymond Burke, like his predecessor in the St. Louis Archdiocese, Justin Rigali, is a prayerful man who is faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, archdiocesan leaders said.

Their difference in style, however, may be a shock for St. Louis Catholics accustomed since 1994 to Rigali's quiet, behind-the-scenes manner.

Both men are unquestionably conservative. But where Rigali, now a cardinal in Philadelphia, had a sense that leadership should have a certain sweetness, theologians said, Burke is more rigid and vocal and has at times stood alone in applying the law.

"He won't succeed. He's clearly an extremist," said Dan Maguire, professor of moral theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, across the state from Burke's La Crosse, Wis., diocese. "You can gauge that by how many bishops follow him."

Before news of Burke's appointment here Dec. 2, he was unknown to most Catholics in the St. Louis Archdiocese. The picture quickly filled in.

Days after hearing the Vatican would send him to St. Louis -- he will be installed today -- Burke instructed La Crosse diocesan priests to refuse Communion to Catholic lawmakers who support abortion rights. His decree set off a firestorm of both criticism and adulation and has St. Louis Catholics wondering whether he will repeat it here.

Burke's letter arose from a Vatican directive last year that bishops admonish Catholic politicians who publicly disagree with church positions on basic beliefs. But Burke has taken the abortion part of the Vatican document further than any other bishop.

'Form of dictatorship'

Maguire said Burke is embarking on a dangerous revival of medieval thinking that church hierarchy should control both the church and state. John F. Kennedy fought that notion in 1960, when he tried to assure voters his policies wouldn't be influenced by the pope.

"It's perfectly legitimate to speak, but to use bully tactics by denying sacraments is a form of dictatorship," Maguire said.

The La Crosse diocese did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Several other hardline stands have put Burke in the same ideological camp as Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., who in 1996 threatened to excommunicate Catholics who belonged to groups that he considered perilous to the faith.

In 2002, Burke pulled La Crosse diocesan support from the annual CROP Walk for Hunger because the sponsoring agency, Church World Service, could not guarantee that none of the funds raised would be used for birth control in developing countries.

CROP Walk fund-raising director Judith McDowell said the incident caused hurt and concern by Wisconsin Catholics. She said St. Louis has many groups that hold CROP walks each year.

Bishop Joseph Naumann, the St. Louis Archdiocese's interim administrator, said Burke is a humble and unpretentious man, who is forthright in his beliefs.

"When people asked him here if he was liberal or conservative, he said, 'I'm a Catholic bishop. I have no agenda but the church's,'" Naumann said.

He said Burke's stance on abortion is similar to Joseph Cardinal Ritter's threat to excommunicate Catholics who opposed his 1947 mandate to desegregate the archdiocese's schools.

"When the bishop gets here, some won't agree with him," Naumann said. "I don't think he'll polarize the community. Even if they disagree with him, they'll see he cares about people."

The St. Louis Archdiocese will give Burke a higher profile for his activism than La Crosse, observers note. His installation on Monday will be aired live on Eternal Word Television Network, a broadcast outlet founded by Mother Angelica.

"He's going to play a prominent role in the American Church," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of the Jesuit magazine America. "He's willing to do things that other bishops aren't."

Ron Modras, professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University, said area Catholics should not prejudge Burke.

"That said, he comes with a reputation of not being middle of the road or concerned about unity and bridge building," Modras said. "He's identified with the radical right of the Catholic Church, not going with the rest of the bishops."

He just hopes that doesn't alienate some Catholics.

Modras said sometimes bishops look the other way for the sake of the greater good.

"We have a very divided church," he said. "Are we going to drive people out and make it more polarized?"

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On the Net:

The Archdiocese of St. Louis: http://www.archstl.org/

The Diocese of La Crosse: http://www.dioceseoflacrosse.com/