What Do Bishops Actually Do?: Bishop James Johnston INTERVIEW | The Simpleton Podcast

The Simpleton Podcast | Catholic Culture, Mission, and Politics with Clark Massey and Laura Hehman

Clark sits down with Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr., Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, in this episode of The Simpleton Podcast!

Also in this episode:

• Do bishops receive training?

• How do bishops handle complaints?

• What are the limits of what a bishop can and can't do?

• What's a bishop's role in politics?

• What is Bishop Johnston most focused on?

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Chapters:

0:00 Introduction to the episode

2:02 Welcome, Bishop Johnston!

2:14 Bishop's background and becoming a bishop

4:50 When Bishop Johnston was a priest

6:06 Do bishops ever turn down the role?

8:00 Do bishops receive training?

12:02 How are new bishops selected?

17:24 How do you keep the Church together? How do you move it forward?

22:15 What does a bishop actually do?

25:48 What causes the bishop the most stress?

28:17 What's a bishop's role in politics?

32:45 Does the bishop oversee movements, or initiate them?

44:36 Do the laity need permission for movements, or should they take initiative?

49:58 What does it mean to be an "officially Catholic" organization?

52:01 How do bishops correct/discipline?

55:46 What is a bishop's relation to canon law?

59:18 What are the limits of what a bishop can and can't do?

1:03:38 What's the importance of canon law?

1:05:11 How does a bishop handle complaints, constant communication, etc.?

1:12:02 Do bishops focus on fostering community?

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