Bp. Bruskewitz on bishops

When Henry VIII arranged to have himself declared the head of the Church, all of the bishops of England except one agreed with him. It was only St. John Fisher who disagreed and suffered martyrdom because of it. I always use this example as a caution for episcopal conferences when we have votes. Cardinal St. John Fisher was the heroic one who stood against the tide, and at the time he was reproached for that -- "How dare you stand against the views of all your brother bishops who acquiesce in the statute of Parliament?" And he said, "For every bishop you show me now I can show you hundreds of thousands throughout history who stand and agree with me." There's a certain sense in which episcopal consensus means not only those who are here now, but also those who have gone before us -- quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est.