Who Can We Trust?

Here’s a common question among many lay people today: “Which of the bishops can we truly trust?” This is a difficult question to answer, especially in light of the sexual abuse scandal and the apparent heterodoxy of many bishops.

Rene Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi, recently published his personal Honor Roll of Bishops on his blog Abyssus Abyssum Invocat. The Honor Roll is a list of bishops Gracida knows enough about to consider them “good bishops worthy of support and respect.”

What is a bit disheartening about the list is that it only includes 39 names (out of a total of 428 active and retired bishops in the United States). Only 23 (out of a total of 255) are currently active.

One major caveat to consider: The list only includes bishops who Gracida would have known well enough to form an opinion.  Bishop Gracida retired in 1997 and thus his interactions with active bishops has been greatly reduced since that time. What is probably most interesting about the list are the bishops that are NOT included who Bishop Gracida would have known well when he was in active ministry.

For your convenience, we provide Bishop Gracida’s list below, in a sortable format for your review.