Raymond Leo Burke
|
|
ArchbishopBurke.jpg
Most Reverend Raymond Leo Burke (b. 30 June, 1948) is the current Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint Louis. He has served as Archbishop of St. Louis since 26 January, 2004. He previously served as Bishop of the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
| Contents |
History
Archbishop Burke was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin on June 30, 1948. The son of Thomas F. and Marie B. Burke, he was the youngest of six children. From 1962 to 1968 he attended the Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse, Wisconsin. From 1968 to 1971 Burke studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He then completed his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy from 1971 to 1975. Pope Paul VI ordained Burke to the priesthood on June 29, 1975 at Saint Peter's Basilica.
Priestly Career
After ordination, his first assignment was as assistant rector at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He also taught at Aquinas High School in La Crosse. From 1980 to 1984 Father Burke studied Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he received his license and doctorate. He then returned to La Crosse and was named the Moderator of the Curia as well as the Vice Chancellor of the La Crosse Diocese. In 1989 Pope John Paul II assigned Burke to be the first American Defender of the Bond of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura - the highest court in the church.
Episcopal History
BurkeCrestColor.gif
In 1994 the Pope named Burke to be the head of the Diocese of La Crosse. Burke was ordained by the Pope as Bishop on January 6, 1995 at Saint Peter's Basilica. He was formally installed in office on February 22, 1995. He served as the Bishop of La Crosse until December 2, 2003, when he was named as the replacement for Justin Cardinal Rigali—who had been reassigned to be the Archbishop of Philadelphia in July of 2003. He was formally installed as Archbishop of St. Louis on January 26, 2004. On the 29th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Burke was presented with the pallium on June 29, 2004 by Pope John Paul II.
A Controversial Archbishop
2004 Election Controversy
During the 2004 election season, Burke publicly stated that John Kerry and other pro-choice politicians who are Catholic could not receive the Eucharist. He has also stated that Catholic voters who support a pro-choice candidate are committing grave sin and should also not receive Communion without first having their sin absolved through the sacrament of Penance. This made the Archbishop a controversial figure nationally. It made him one of a small number of Bishops who decided to deny communion to such politicans. It is a continuation of a policy that he had begun while Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.
His actions during this time were seen as further evidence that the church was abandoning the careful netruality that it normally maintained during election campaigns. While some Catholics hailed his courage for denying communion to abortion rights supporters, others have criticized the Archbishop for what they see as undue interference in the election process.
St. Stanislaus Controversy
Another controversy Archbishop Burke has become associated with involves the control of the property of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in St. Louis. St. Stanislaus is a parish serving the Polish community in St. Louis. The controversy centers around whether the property and monetary assets of the parish will be controlled by a pastor appointed by the archbishop, which is the canonical norm, or by a lay parish board of directors. The controversy began under Archbishop Burke's predecessor, former Archbishop Justin Rigali, but has become much more heated under Burke.
According to representatives of the archbishop, the lay board of directors fundamentally altered the legal structure of the parish, subverting the authority of the pastor. This has caused the parish to be controlled by a lay board of directors, and not under the authority of a pastor, or the archbishop. Both sides agree that St. Stanislaus governance structure is unique within the archdiocese.
According to representatives of the board of directors that currently govern St. Stanislas, the current structure of the parish has existed for over 100 years and the purpose of the archbishop's actions is to take control of the assets of the parish for primarily economic reasons. They claim that the archbishop intends to close the parish once he has control of it.
On August 4, 2004 the archbishop removed both priests from the parish and transfered Polish language masses to another parish in the area. In January, 2005 he threatended the six members of the parish board of directors with an interdict if they did not comply with his instructions by February 4, 2005. On February 10, 2005, the board had still not complied, and the archbishop issued an interdict against the six board members, alledging that they "knowingly, deliberately and publicly damaged seriously the unity of the Church". According to representatives of the archdiocese, the interdict will remain in place until the board members repent or until it is overturned by the Vatican.
As of February 25, 2005, Burke's reorganization plan for parishes in south St. Louis City would permanently change the personal parish for Polish Catholics in St. Louis to Saint Agatha's.
Notes
See Archdiocese of Saint Louis for a list of previous Archbishops of St. Louis.
Please see Raymond Burke for other men with this name
External Links
- The Archdiocse of Saint Louis (http://www.archstl.org)
- Archdiocese of St. Louis - Biography of Archbishop Burke (http://www.archstl.org/about/burke.html)