Braxton faces opposition from Diocese
By James T. Ingram For the St. Louis American
Fourteen years ago, Wilton Gregory, the first African-American bishop in the history of the Belleville (IL) Diocese, was installed amid great controversy.
Gregory took the helm of Belleville’s Catholic Church during an embarrassing clergy sex abuse scandal, in which he was forced to suspend five priests. Prior to his arrival, eight priests had been suspended for similar circumstances.
Yet, prior to Gregory’s arrival, there was no significant protest (by Belleville priests) of the Diocese leadership.
Mind you, this was a Belleville era replete with rampant racism: a mayor whose racist diatribes caught the ear of 60 Minutes, a police department that routinely harassed black motorists and a Belleville city government that had never employed or elected African Americans in any capacity.
Fast forward to 2008, and we find Edward Braxton, the second successive African-American bishop of the Belleville Diocese, under attack by over 40 priests who have petitioned the Catholic Church for his removal.
The priests have repeatedly accused Braxton of being arrogant, dictatorial, untrustworthy and uncooperative (qualities that many in leadership, including President Bush, may be accused of).
Braxton’s admitted misuse of about $17,100 to buy new ceremonial garb and furnishings for the Belleville chancery only increased the calls for his crucifixion, despite his apologies and pledges to repay the money from other sources.
It turns out that from day one the Belleville Diocese priests never gave Braxton an opportunity to succeed.
In a riveting letter distributed to the parishioners of Belleville, Bishop Braxton describes his meeting with a group of Belleville priests, prior to his installation on June 22, 2005.
These priests allegedly said that there was a “firestorm of hatred” against Braxton and that he was not welcome here and that he would never be welcome.
Furthermore, they informed Braxton that very few people would attend his installation and that the priests had investigated his history and had discovered incriminating information against him, according to Braxton.
Braxton went on to write that this meeting was to inform him that he should reject his appointment (by the pope) because of their “findings.”
Well, if that doesn’t sound like attempted blackmail, then it will have to do until the real thing comes along.
Now, I’m not Catholic, though I do confess to being of African-American descent. I also, have worked in leadership capacities in white America and can relate to Braxton’s dilemma.
I can vividly recall working in the aerospace industry (here in St. Louis) and seeing, first-hand, a black department head struggle with white subordinates who undermined his authority at every turn, because they could.
This black manager was a fair, principled and professional man. Academically, he was far better-educated than his white predecessor; but, because of his race, his subordinates never gave him a chance to lead them.
The priests and Bishop Braxton have described the political, social and other dynamics of their stand-off. Yet, no one has addressed the racial dynamic.
If nothing else, Barack Obama’s poignant address on race has challenged us to attack the two-headed monster of race head-on, and I would submit that, yes, even Catholic priests can be racist.
Forget the convenient smokescreen from which the priests launch veiled threats at Bishop Braxton. The Belleville Diocese has suffered under worse non-black leadership, yet remained silent.
It is time for the Belleville Diocese to exorcise its own demons in order to have the moral authority to lead Belleville Catholics in the true spirit of Christianity.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.