not been accepted at that age. The cardinal archbishop of Dublin, Desmond Connell, for instance, stayed solidly in place until he was 78 and might very well have been there still if not for his involvement in the sex scandals of this period.

Secondly, we are deep into a period of priestless parishes. Churches are being clustered -- two or three parishes are being served by a single circuit-rider priest -- around the world and across the United States, as well. In other places, once-retired priests are being redeployed to act as caretaker residents of otherwise defunct parishes. In this particular case, in Detroit, St. Leo Parish, which Bishop Gumbleton requested to go on serving, will now be administered instead by a non-resident priest who will function at thegave him a promotion, a position on five of the curial congregations of the church, St. Mary Major, one of the four principal churches in Rome, and a luxurious Roman apartment. On the other hand, this bishop, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, told the truth, even about his having been abused by a priest himself when he was a young seminarian. Most of all, he took the position that it is the obligation of bishops to bring transparency, accountability and justice to the plight of sex abuse victims, whatever the financial ramifications for the church itself.

From where I stand, it looks to me as if we won't know for sure what really happened here till we see what they give Tom Gumbleton. But in the meantime, the question looms large