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	Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland
	Herald of Hope Herald of Hope is a weekly column by Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland and Bishop Richard J. Sklba. • Herald of Hope online archive

A reminder to the non-Latinists that lapsus is a fourth declension noun and the plural is lapsus!

Everyone who is out in the public eye and speaking a lot will say something now and again that they eventually will regret. It is usually the choice of a wrong word. These "lapsus linguae" stick to you, I have learned, for a lifetime. In 25 years one has a chance to make a lot of them.

One of my first was as Abbot Primate of the Benedictines. I was visiting a monastery of French nuns, I do not remember where, but only that they were very proper, most having belonged to famous noble families. On arrival, I was met in the grand foyer of the monastery by Lady Abbess and all the nuns. After Mother Abbess said very warm words of welcome, she stated that I would visit each nun at her work station (atelier). In response, I expressed my affectionate greetings, my delight in being there, and finally how pleased I would be to see all the sisters "en travail" (in labor) -- instead of "au travail" (at work). What a difference a preposition can make! I bet that every so often in that monastery during recreation some more elderly nun retells that story.

One of my first "lapsus linguae" here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee occurred during a talk I gave at the Press Club in 1978 right before Christmas. In trying to describe the new pope's ability to work a crowd and his ease in front of such large numbers of people probably because of his having been an actor, and how when speaking there are certain phrases where he really builds up and builds up to a great climax to keep the people in the palm of his hand, unfortunately I added, like a "ham actor." Naturally that was picked up by the newspapers. Later, during my first audience with him, I had the occasion to apologize personally to him for the negative overtone of this word used in an otherwise laudatory passage. This unhappy turn of phrase still comes back to haunt me.

In the articles on me by Paul Wilkes in The New Yorker in 1990, I was quoted by the author as mentioning, after a ceremony at the cathedral, the unhappy look on the faces of some more conservative Catholic groups and remarked, off the cuff, that they looked like "they needed a laxative." I regretted offending some of the faithful by that smart remark.

During the first discussions on pedophilia some 12 to 15 years ago I made some more serious and infelicitous remarks. I wrote in one of these articles about some teens who were very street-wise and sexually very active. I may have given the impression that some teen-age victims of sexual abuse by a priest were somehow responsible. Trying to explain what I wanted to say just got me deeper and deeper into trouble. I have never denied that the priest is fully responsible for the abuse of minors, given his position of power.

Again I talked in some interviews about teens being rejected and then "squealing." I do not remember ever using this infelicitous word, but someone must have dug it out of some interview and it now returns to haunt me. I deeply regret it.

On a different subject now, some weeks ago The Catholic Herald interviewed me about my years here. I failed then to answer one question, because no ready answer came to me (a "lapsus mentis"). The reporter asked for stories about what kids may have said to me. Two came to mind later and I will tell them here. Both came from third-graders. In one class I asked the children who could give me the name of the present pope. Almost all hands went up. A little boy responded: "John Paul the Second." "Wonderful," I said, "and who was John Paul the First?" Dead silence! Finally one little boy spouted out: "That was his dad's name."

In another class I was explaining the special garb and accouterments of a bishop. I ended with the crosier or staff, explaining that the bishop was to represent the good shepherd because a shepherd used his staff to keep the sheep in line. I showed them how I had seen Sicilian shepherds use the open crook of the staff to nip at the feet of the sheep to keep them in line and from straying away from the group. One little girl listened attentively, finally raised her hand and asked: "Why don't you just use a sheep dog?" I have often dreamed of myself walking down the aisle, not with the crosier, but with a sheep dog on a leash.

As I get older I am sure there will be more chances for "lapsus linguae" and "lapsus mentis."