A Bishop for All Seasons

Bishop Robert McElroy

Bishop Robert McElroy, the new bishop of San Diego, is of the same mind as Pope Francis. He envisions a church for the poor, a church of inclusion, a church of compassion. He was the keynote speaker for Social Justice Week at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., this week. He challenged the students to personal and cultural conversion. We live in a culture of comfort that makes us think only of ourselves, a culture of waste that desecrates the environment, and a culture of indifference that blinds us to the suffering around us, he said. He offered the parable of the rich man and Lazarus as a antidote to our materialistic culture. The rich man was not an evil person, the bishop pointed out. He didn't abuse, hate, or malign Lazarus. He even wanted someone to warn his brothers so they would not suffer his plight. Yet he loses everything because he did not see or alleviate Lazarus' misery. Most Americans think the United States is very generous to poor countries, yet we give only.2 percent of our GDP for developmental assistance. According to Bishop McElroy, the top 200 individuals own more wealth than the poorest 3.5 billion people in the world. He encouraged the students to succeed in their careers, but to use their influence to confront American public policy and structural evil and to promote the international common good.