Odium populi, odium plebes

One criterion for removal of clergy is odium populi, hatred from the people. The latest formulation of canon law has 1752 canons. It comes very near the end.

Canon 1741-3 loss of a good reputation among upright and responsible parishioners or an aversion [latin aversio, previously odium] to the pastor which it appears will not cease in a brief time;

Now, the theological reason for this is mentioned in the last canon:

Canon 1752 In cases of transfer the prescripts of canon 1747 are to be applied, canonical equity is to be observed, and the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes.

There you have it—his continuance in office would hinder the salvation of souls. Cleveland has become the Lennongrad diocese, where people have been chased away from the Church. Some have been, and others will have their faith shaken and perhaps, destroyed. This problem is on-going, enduring, it will not evaporate away. Lennon does not love his people, and this is reciprocated. Now, in Cleveland he is irksome, his past is quite bad. He left Boston under an odious cloud, and when that breaks open fully, an ugly tempest will be apparent.

There is the Scranton solution and there is the French-Papal solution. Joseph Martino became odious to many in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He had closed a large number of schools, and this was not taken well by many. When national episcopal pronouncements conflicted with his, he roughly abrogated them. Politically he demanded all in the diocese to support the pharisaic faction of the Republican party. Some ethical teachings of the church required complete acknowledgment and lip service without even theoretical deviation, while all other teachings could be thoroughly abandoned if the former formulæ were recited.

Joseph Martino's voice recording was played in every parish the weekend that bridged January and February last year, using the reasons of clerical and monetary shortage, he announced the evisceration of half the diocese. June he resigned citing:

Canon 401 §2. A diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.

Martino made no distinction between proper authority and absolute authority. Canon 401 was cited to save face; it was 1741 and 1752 that were actually applicable.

France was liberated in August of 1944. Vichy and the nazis were finished. The patriotic resistance was not amenable to the episcopal status quo. Valerio Valeri was papal nuncio to France from 1936, he would not be so at the end of the year. Angelo Roncalli became the new nuncio, before Christmas, and would stay till '53. The provisional government offered a List A of 24 (down from 33) bishops they wanted 'retired'. They were odious to the population as they were too identified with collaboration. Now the list was not perfect. Some names were omitted and some should not have been listed. The Sostituto (Deputy Secretary of State), Giovanni Battista Montini, and the ambassador to the Vatican, Jacques Maritain worked together in Rome. Pius XII in July '45 listed seven bishops to begin retirement in November. Roncalli agreed with De Gaulle's Director of Religious Affairs, André Latreille that 'odium plebes', hatred from the common people, was a valid reason for removal.

Maritain was the leading thomist philosopher and writer of the day; Latreille a professor of history. Roncalli is sometimes known as John XXIII; Montini, Paul VI. We will see if the United States will have such scholars and diplomats in to-day's hour of trouble.
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confer: André Latreille. De Gaulle, la Libération et l'Église catholique. Paris. 1978