Woah.

Following direction from the Vatican, the California religious leaders and eight other prominent bishops around the country have asked former auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney to steer clear of their dioceses because of his “problematic positions” on priestly celibacy and other issues.

In his book, “Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus,” Robinson argues that the church’s celibacy requirement has contributed to the sex abuse crisis. He openly criticizes the papacy for failing to provide leadership. And he wonders whether the Catholic Church has been more concerned with managing the scandal than confronting it.

Those positions have put Robinson squarely at odds with church leaders on three continents.

In a joint letter last month, Mahony and nine other American bishops warned Robinson that his visit could be “a source of disunity and cause of confusion among the faithful of the particular churches we serve.”

They cited an investigation of his book by Australian bishops, who found “doctrinal difficulties” and pointed out that the head of the Vatican office in charge of all bishops had asked Robinson to cancel his trip.