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Hypocrisy In The Hierarchy: When Bishops Fail Their Flock

Hypocrisy In The Hierarchy: When Bishops Fail Their Flock

Last updated on: July 27, 2026 at 1:49 am by Henry Karlson

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Hypocrisy In The Hierarchy: When Bishops Fail Their Flock 2026-07-27T01:49:48-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Bad bishops will entangle themselves with corrupt politicians. Painting:Gillis Mostaert: Allegory on worldly and clergical abuses / Wikimedia Commons

Saint Isidore of Seville is a rather interesting figure in Christian history; at a time when classical civilization was in decline, he tried to preserve what he learned from it in his Etymologiae, a work which gave his own understanding not only of the origins of words, but an encyclopedia-like examination of the subjects he chose to write upon. It provided many of his readers knowledge which they would not otherwise have had. Similarly, he wrote the Sententiae (opinions or sentences), which serves as his systematic consolidation of theological learning; it helped establish and promote a theological form of writing which would eventually lead to Peter Lombard composing his magnum opus, The Sentences. While I find his Etymologiae interesting, I tend to read and reread more from his Sententiae because it addresses more of my primary concerns (that is, theology, and not ancient historical knowledge). In it, he explored many of the doctrinal topics which we would expect, but he also wrote on moral theology, and it, more than his doctrinal theology, has been useful in my own writings. This is not because his doctrinal work is erroneous, but rather, it serves as a summarization of what others, who I have also studied, wrote. Among his moral reflections we find him concerned with the poor, the care which should be had for them, and how people in positions of power and authority should not only treat the poor, but those who would exploit or abuse the poor. He said that good priests (and bishops) would confront those who would oppress the poor, while giving the poor themselves whatever aid they could:

When the poor are oppressed by their rulers, good priests [bishops] – in order to deliver them from this – offer them the help of their protection and they do not fear the hostility of any of their enemies. Rather, they openly confront the oppressors of the poor, they reproach them, they excommunicate them, and they have little fear of their plots to harm them even if they are able to harm them: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). [1]

On the other hand, he pointed out that bad, or even corrupt, church leaders, often out of fear, will not confront those who would oppress the poor; instead, they are silent, if not actually wanting to be friends with the oppressors:

Many leaders of the churches, fearing that they will lose the friendship and incur the hostility of those who hate them, do not correct those who sin, and they are afraid to rebuke those who oppress the poor; nor are they afraid of the severity of the retribution that will be handed out to them, due to the fact that they have been silent about the common people entrusted to their care.[2]

While St. Isidore wrote on many other moral concerns in his Sententiae, it is this sentiment, more than any others, which I find myself turning to again and again, both in my own readings, but also in my writings. I have found it as a useful key in the way I explore church history, as I try to discern which clergy and bishops served God as good pastors, and which did not, because they tried to ingratiate themselves with those in positions of power and authority. Some, to be sure, had elements of both in them; they would try to befriend people in positions of power, but they would rebuke them, if need be, with St. Ambrose’s relationship with Theodosius being an example of this third category. I cannot but note how St. Isidore’s key also applies to the contemporary situation; I have seen that many influential priests and bishops on social media end up doing what St. Isidore decried as they seek friendship with those in positions of power and authority. Among the worst of them are those who not only will be silent when abuse happens, but who actually offer a defense for the abuse and promote the abusers as being good. Within my own context, living in the United States, I expect bishops (and other clergy) to promote the dignity of every human, including and especially, those who are poor and/or vulnerable, and to speak out when their human dignity is being violated, such as when the poor and vulnerable (which includes migrants and refugees) are being indiscriminately rounded up, put in harsh living conditions, tortured, if not unjustly killed (or sent to a place which will likely lead to their unnecessary death). Not only do many such influencer-priests and bishops fail to speak out against those evils, they fail to represent other major moral considerations of our day, such as climate change (which has an impact on everyone, but worse on the poor and vulnerable in the world), and issues surrounding war and peace (such as when the United States invades or threatens to invade other sovereign nations).

Certainly I have seen and heard some clergy, including bishops, not only speaking on the central concerns of our time, but taking active roles in working for change, they appear to be far and few between. It seems most clergy are either being silent or actively finding ways to appease those doing what is wrong. For example, I cannot help but feel Bishop Robert Barron has lost sight of his pastoral duties; instead of fulfilling them, taking care to defend those in his diocese who are being attacked by the present government, he has befriended their oppressors, taking time to be with them, such as President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. Since Vance is Catholic, Barron should consider his position even more carefully. Instead of making excuses for Vance’s attacks on migrants and promotion of war, he should act as a pastor concerned with Vance’s soul, confronting Vance for the evils which he helps perpetuate. Often I wonder if Barron sees himself as someone who should find his place alongside Cardinal Wolsey or Cardinal Richelieu, but he is far too the sycophant, and far less crafty to be like either of them. While the same could also be said concerning other clergy, like Cardinal Dolan, Barron’s prominence on social media has provided him a far more active following, giving him also far greater responsibility, a responsibility I fear he consistently fails to uphold. As such, I cannot but wonder, and even fear (for him, but also the church which allows him to continue in such a fashion) the consequences that will follow. As Msgr. Arthur Holquin, S.T.L. wrote on substack (4-3-2026), Barron knows clergy should not be beholden to and promote “any ideological movement”, as he has previously said this; this makes him seem to be a hypocrite, one who is making it “dangerous” for himself and “everyone else”:

Bishop Barron has warned, brilliantly and repeatedly, against the Church becoming a chaplain to any ideological movement. Those are prescient words. They deserve to be applied now, without exception, to his own conduct. The prophet who becomes a court chaplain does not expand the Gospel’s reach. He contracts it. He makes the Gospel safe for Caesar — and in doing so, makes it dangerous for everyone else.

Again, I have seen this, not just with Barron, but with many others, but, among them all, Barron is the most influential, and the one who I hear from the most due to his constant social presence. While he often begins his statements as if he were a friend to everyone, he constantly undermines that sentiment with the cruelties which he defends (often against the teachings of the church, be it the teachings on just war, but also, the teachings related to the preferential option to the poor, which he finds way to circumvent by calling anyone trying to follow it liberals, socialists, or communists). While Barron might want us to view him as a just and holy bishop, often through various forms of performative piety, I can’t buy into that image, because, unlike the saints, he is taken in, not only by himself, but by his associations, associations which undermine his role as a bishop, because he is unwilling to correct his associates as he should.

[1] St. Isidore of Seville, Sententiae. Trans. Thomas L. Knoebel (New York: Newman Press, 2018), 195.

[2] St. Isidore of Seville, Sententiae*,*195.

* This Is Another Post From My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series

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N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

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