Dear Pope Francis, A Cowboy: The Good Virginia Priest Part 7 of 7

The Good Virginia Priest: A Cowboy, Loving Father, Brave Shepherd to his Flock

May 06, 2024

Dearest and most beloved Papem Francis,

Winter 2018

I did reach out to a very good Virginia priest – one respected by his Archdiocese of Virginia – as well as good priests across the country.

His advice?

Tell the Washington, DC Archdiocese.

Here’s how that conversation went: I told him I was there because of a priest in a religious order. He said to report the priest. My phone was blowing up loudly, the working dog I had taken along to the meeting because I couldn’t find a puppy sitter as I had just gotten to Virginia was acting up and barking and fussing as the conversation grew more agitated.

I explained, “You don’t understand – see I don’t know you, but I had contacted multiple priests – cowboys I call them…men who see right from wrong and act accordingly –to ask: ‘Is this guy? This guy? This Virginia priest I am seeing today – is he a cowboy?’ “

“Because I can tell you right now as sure as I am a brown-eyed girl, I have been gravely and seriously disappointed by this church.”

And I lifted my phone to show him and said, “My phone is blowing up! And they’re all saying yep, he’s a cowboy. They’re saying you’re a cowboy – you do an honest day’s work, ride in, see the good and the bad and act accordingly.”

And this good Virginia priest said, “Carol, you need to report him to the Washington, Archdiocese.”

I replied, “Wait, you mean the same fools who did nothing before? It’s like we’re a baseball team, and we keep losing the pennant – I mean we never get to the World Series. The Jews get to the World Series – the Muslims, the Lutherans, the Baptists…get to the pennant and World Series — Not us! Why? Because our idiot management keeps throwing the game…So, no, I do not want to report to the Washington, DC Archdiocese. No, you know what? You know what I want to do? I want to report it to the press – to the Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein and other media, to write about it in an opinion editorial, and report it to the Washington, DC Archdiocese then!”

Report them to the Washington, DC Roman Catholic Archdiocese?

The one run by Cardinal McCarrick - oy gevalt! - and later by Cardinal Wuerl who ran into his own problems!

That’s just not enough,” I said.

“Carol, it’s a marathon - it’s the long haul - it’s not that hard.” he said.

“Really? How many marathons have you run? I’ve run three - and that’s spoken like a man who hasn’t run any!”

Our conversation was loud and heated - because I was angry and frustrated with my Church.

I left his office angry and dissatisfied.

His team looked shocked as I left.

I was tempted to say, “Well, that’s what it sounds like when a real man talks to a real woman - would that Eve had talked to Adam with more candor.”

Later that evening I called in humility to leave this message, “In prayer, deep prayer, I asked the Lord how do I proceed? Who protects all the good men, all the good priests, I know who get hurt and scandalized by a scornful public and disdainful flock — when a few very stupid people among our various prelatures and priests act without regard for the greater good of each other, their fellow brother priests, and our Mother Church?”

And here, I am sorry to say, I mean the very few mis-guided men of Opus Dei’s prelature and their priest McCloskey.

I told him I heard a still small voice say, “ ‘Woman,’ ” and I thought, well, I’m a woman and a writer, so I’ll get to it.”

I quoted the Bible verse, which refers to the “backsliding daughter,” which was Israel, is sometimes Mother Catholic Church, and has been me, too:

Jer 31:22 “How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter (sic Israel)? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.”

And it’s my prerogative as a woman to protect the men – to encompass them in time of need as it states in scripture.

I explained that I would report the priest to the Vatican, to the Washington, DC Archdiocese, to the press, and that I would write my opinion editorial for the Wall Street Journal, WSJ, as they had invited me to do.

AT first I delayed a follow-up but then I did write The Pope Francis Letters, this 7-part series on this platform carolthecatholic.substack.com blog &

But then I did write The Pope Francis Letters, a 7 part series here here - free, for 0 cost, so people world-wide, especially those among Opus Dei and the Washington, DC Archdiocese could read it.

I also told him that it’s a woman’s biblical prerogative to help men.

Man needs a helper.

It’s in their ontology - priest, or not.