Here’s a great email from Bob Malm to diocesan officials, in which we see several things:
- Bob prattling on about how “we can’t allow” people to protest or criticize the church.
- Bob attempting to inflame the issue by referring to shootings in other states, and possibly imaginary encounters with parishioners.
- Bob demonstrating what appears to be paranoia, as he talks about the need for a proactive policy to address protests and online criticism.
So, in the spirit of cooperation, here is my suggested language to be added to the canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia:
As God’s church, we are called to a life of holiness and service to our Lord Jesus Christ. While members of the The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, and church members canonically resident within the diocese, are permitted to question church policies or decisions, they may not engage in public protests or online criticism of church policies or decisions. Those doing so shall be repelled from communion, until such time as the bishop diocesan or, in his or her absence, other ecclesiastical authority, shall determine that they have repented and seek to lead a Godly life.
Too bad Bob isn’t equally proactive when it comes to misconduct within the parish, like married couples who allegedly have openly adulterous relationships with other married parishioners.
Meanwhile, both Bob Malm and Donald Trump appear to have an unfortunate tendency towards totalitarianism—in Bob’s case, to a degree unknown even in the monarchical Catholic church.
