Bishop of Riverside County hopeful about Pope Francis
The bishop of Riverside County said today he hopesthe Catholic Church’s new pope will show leadership on treatment of immigrantsand address the clergy sexual abuse scandal “vigorously and courageously.”
Gerald Barnes, who oversees the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino– the country’s 12th-largest diocese that covers Riverside and SanBernardino counties — said he was initially surprised with the selection ofBuenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio because he hadn’t heard the namecirculated as a possible contender.
“And then I was delighted to hear him and see him address the throngs. . . I’m happy it’s a man from this continent that understands the lifesituation of people in this part of the world,” according to Barnes, whowatched news coverage with about 60 people at a parish meeting.
“To acknowledge now the majority of members of our church are in theSouthern Hemisphere, I think it points to the importance of the church in theSouthern Hemisphere and the gifts this continent brings to the world,” Barnestold reporters.
He said the direction of the papacy of the man now known as Pope Francisremains to be seen until he makes appointments to key positions in theVatican and other church leadership posts. He did say Francis must address theclergy sexual abuse scandal “vigorously and courageously.”
“It is a scandal. It’s affected our church, there’s no doubt about itand it has not been handled always in the right fashion,” he said.
Barnes said there is a “tremendous amount” of work to be done inaddressing the flow of immigration in the United States and abroad.
“I would hope that he would begin in his pontificate to show strongleadership in the call that we must respect people wherever they are from andto treat each other as sisters and brothers,” he said.
Barnes was asked if he thought Francis might evolve on gay marriage,which the Catholic Church opposes.
“I do not,” he said. “I think it’s the way we as Roman Catholics viewmarriage … a commitment of love and commitment to openness of life. Thiscannot take away from the respect we must have for people of whateverorientation.”
Barnes said there is “a tremendous amount of delight” among thediocese’s parishioners at the news of the new pope. He said he asked anArgentinian nun how she felt about Pope Francis being from her country.
“She had the biggest smile,” he said.
Barnes, who was installed by Pope John Paul II in 1995, said he wouldn’tattend the new pope’s formal installation in Rome, which could be on Tuesday.The diocese will have a celebratory Mass the same day at 7 p.m. at Our Lady ofthe Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino.
