Originally published at crisis magazine
The Diocese of Steubenville, under the apostolic administration of Bishop Lohse of Kalamazoo, has published a report detailing the state of the diocese. This report comes over two years after the initial news broke of a potential merger between the Dioceses of Columbus and Steubenville. Bishop Lohse succeeded Bishop Bradley as Steubenville’s Apostolic Administrator upon Bradley’s removal. Steubenville locals speculate that Bradley’s removal was partly due to his openness to the Steubenville Diocese proceeding without a merger. Nearly nine months have passed since Bishop Lohse’s appointment, and the contents of the report do little to dispel that notion.
This report outlines many challenges facing the Diocese of Steubenville. The challenges are real, and they need to be addressed sooner rather than later. However, the contents of the report sound detached rather than objective, listing truisms that could apply to nearly any diocese but presenting them as if they apply almost exclusively to Steubenville. Lohse’s report is concerning not simply because of Southeast Ohio’s population decline—that’s far from breaking news—but because of the precedent the report may set should a merger take place based on its conclusions.
The report cites decreased general and Catholic population, financial issues, and other challenges as reasons why the
