I haven't agreed with all of his stances, though they typically align with the American Bishops as a whole. But as I said, I try not to be a 'my side or the highway type.' Likewise, he has never called out any pope since he became bishop, though he has given viewpoints that were clearly not in line with Pope Francis all of the time.
When he was made bishop of the diocese, it stands to reason that the MSM jumped on it - because of his ethnicity. But well beyond what he was born looking like, he has brought a bit of a revival to the struggling diocese. The boom in those entering the Church, and the priesthood, since he came can't be missed.
A big reason? Long and short, he actually treats the Faith like it is real. He trained as an exorcist, which I think it especially awesome. Because he comes from a family of doctors and scientists, it shows by living it out that the two are not opposed to each other. He's also pretty traditional in his views. Sometimes he goes so far as to celebrate the customers and practices of our Eastern Orthodox brethren. Probably due to the presence of Orthodoxy in India.
He is also about the most energetic bishop I've seen. To quote a character in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, go into a town, cross a street, go into the market and there he is. Once a few year ago my sons and I were walking down a sidewalk in Columbus and lo and behold, here came Bishop Fernandes walking toward us. No doubt by the end of the day he had been at about a dozen different places and events.
He also values the past. More than once he has spoken glowingly of things gone by, including here in the US. As well as more traditional Catholicism it's worth mentioning. Which is why this video is hardly surprising, but put against the modern Francis Era Church as a whole, it's a delight. It's him reading the Declaration of Independence. Just because and our 250th birthday and all. Which I think, to quote the cricket, is just swell:
It's worth noting that initially he was asked to read a portion of the Declaration, but decided himself to read the entire thing. Which is a very Bishop Fernandes thing to do.
