The Ape of the Church is now on full display. The Napa Institute, a conservative Catholic bastion funded by wealthy orthodox donors, invited Fr. James Martin to carry the monstrance in a Eucharistic procession. One of the best-known conservative Catholic journalists gave him a soft interview to present his LGBT ideology to a conservative audience. The man who once embodied the progressive fringe is now being embraced by the very institutions that should be resisting him.
A man who discerned with the Jesuits has just released his testimony that he was rejected and told to seek counseling simply for criticizing Martin. Cardinals Sarah, Burke, Müller, and Bishop Paprocki once spoke clearly against him. Those voices are needed again, because since Leo, there has been only praise from the prelates.
The conservative resistance is collapsing. The lines are blurring. And James Martin is no longer on the margins, he is at the center. The question is whether any Catholic leader will speak clearly before the entire conservative establishment falls in line. The silence is deafening. And the faithful are watching.