For some background on the Bishop-Braxton-in-Belleville follies, the careful reader might want to refer to items I gathered in my now-dormant “The Churches” blog, going back to June of ‘05.
This I offer in view of the rash of pro-Braxton sentiment expressed in comments — 121 in all of these — on a long (3,350 words) Chicago Daily Observer column, “Resentment in Search of a Grievance,” itself a sock-‘em-bust-‘em condemnation of the 45 complaining priests.
That’s “about 60 percent of [priests] regularly assigned to the diocese,” said the Belleville News-Democrat in March, “nearly half” the total, says the Observer writer.
Therefore, at issue here, apart from the case’s merits, is the administrative (say “pastoral”) ability of the CEO (say “bishop”). Should Ed Braxton go back to theological consultation and authoring and leave administration-cum-pastoring to someone who’s better at it?
The great author and television preacher Fulton Sheen made the move, resigning in 1969 from Rochester NY after only two years and 10 months as bishop.
He had brought “a newcomer’s fresh and sometimes bold perspective to the local Church and to the local community,” says the diocesan web site. “Some of his initiatives were gladly welcomed. Others were questioned or resisted.”
Moreover:
His was a complex personality caught in the complex shift of Church and culture that was taking place in the Diocese of Rochester at that time. All in all, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen provided a new direction for the diocese in those critical times.
I like that. Edward K. Braxton’s was “a complex personality.” He “provided a new direction.” Not to say he’s another Fulton Sheen, but he was sorely missed around Belleville. Why not?
Then maybe another guy could come in and knock heads or pour oil on troubled waters, someone (from Chicago?) in the tradition of the late bishop of Madison, Cletus O’Donnell, one of whose priests incautiously let a nun join him in celebrating mass. After a heart-to-heart discussion of the matter with Bishop O’D, however, he decided it had been a bad idea and as far as most of us know never did it again.
O’Donnell was an auxiliary under John Cody, who said at a farewell dinner that Madison — a lesser diocese carved out from Milwaukee and LaCrosse —would not be the end of the line for O’D. For Cody that was a wholly benevolent wish for his auxiliary, we may assume.
O’Donnell stood when his turn came and announced that, contrary to his archbishop’s best wishes, he expected to die in Madison — which he did, in 1992 after 25 years. This is the kind of bishop Belleville could use at this juncture. There must be some of them around.
Blithe Spirit 
From Johnston’s account, there is nothing that Braxton could have done to avoid the hostile reception awaiting him.
We don’t need a reconciler in Belleville, we need someone who will insist on speaking the truths of the Faith and requiring his priests to do so also and to knock off pushing the liberal agenda.
That’s why they didn’t want Braxton to be their bishop and why they are grabbing at straws to tarnish him in the public’s eye.
Sadly, I believe, the early accounts of his “misuse of money” — when all that he did was buy things for the Church. Gasp!
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Exposing the False Teaching and Lies of Bishop Edward K. Braxton.
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