Detroit’s Archbishop Edward Weisenburger has fired two prominent teachers at the archdiocesan seminary, apparently because they had been critical of Pope Francis.
Ralph Martin, a longtime professor at Sacred Heart seminary and a leading figure in the worldwide charismatic renewal; and Eduardo Echeverria, a professor of philosophy and systematic theology, were informed on July 23 that they were fired, effective immediately.
Martin reported that when he asked the archbishop to explain the reason for his action, “he said he didn’t think it would be helpful to give any specifics but mentioned something about having concerns about my theological perspectives.”
The Detroit archdiocese declined to comment on the matter.
Both Martin and Echeverria have taught at Sacred Heart seminary for more than twenty years.
Both have also published widely in defense of the perennial teachings of the Church. Martin - who is a regular speaker at national and even international Catholic events, as well as the host of the EWTN show “The Choices We Face,” had written in his 2021 book A Church in Crisis that Pope Francis was causing widespread confusion by his ambiguous statements on moral issues.
Echeverria had recently posted an essay on The Catholic Thing in which he argued that Pope Francis had undermined Catholic teaching on marriage.
Archbishop Weisenburger, who was appointed by Pope Francis and installed as Archbishop of Detroit in March, quickly generated controversy by announcing that the Traditional Latin Mass would be banned at parish churches in the archdiocese beginning July 1.
More recently he joined in a “procession” across the city to protest federal immigration policies.
At a previous post, as Bishop of Tucson, he had suggested imposing canonical penalties on Catholic federal agents who enforced the Trump administration’s policies.