Melbourne parish priest, Father Bob Maguire is unhappy about being asked by his Archbishop to retire when he turns 75.

He has gone public about this on his personal blog.

On September 7, he posted his account of an interview between himself and his superior, Archbishop Hart, “He gave me two dates for compliance. One was my birthday. He expects a letter of resignation. The other is a month later. He expects me to vacate the premises.”

He comments, “No good whingeing about lack of courtesy or respect for a senior field officer.”

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Then Father proceeds to whinge that, “Power makes some people less restrained than they naturally are . . . The rich and powerful Catholic neo-cons have had enough of my style, valued as it may be by secular society.

He also says, “Nine out of ten Catholics either do or would choose to read “the signs of the times” and act accordingly, become social activists. One out of ten prefers devotional Catholicism, becoming even more passionate in prayer and worship.”

Is the Church a cafeteria where you pick out for yourself whatever turns you on? Is not the Church a hierarchy in order, specifically, to curb this kind of mindset?

One famous French Archbishop famously advised his priests “always to keep two suitcases packed” so as to be ready every day to be moved to another place to work without surprise or complaint or comment .

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Interestingly, Father Maguire’s blog is headed, “No more us and them, just we”.

 Now is Father’s chance to apply this to himself, to his willingness to be obedient (even when it isn’t what he wants) to the “we” of the hierarchical Church, as personified by his Archbishop.

 It won’t be easy for him. But he must submit as cheerfully as he can.

 We should all pray for him.