Monday, February 25, 2008

No Bishop Bashing permitted!


You can always tell when the political season opens on Catholics. There is a trend towards Catholic bashing in the press and media. More precisely, in this case there is an attempt by the secular press at Bishop Bashing while trying to play down our Catholic moral, social and ethical principles.
The Catholic League has recently noted a journalistic bashing of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in a recent article by Joe Feuerherd in The Washington Post. Well Mr. Feuerherd, any detrimental comments one makes in the secular press is an outright attack on Catholic religious freedom of expression. Political pundits might consider the Catholic Bishops as fair game during the political hunting season, but they are not collectively intended for political or journalistic target practice.
Catholic faithful maintain the office of Bishop is directly descended from the Apostles. We also believe that collectively, the Bishops in the United States and throughout the world speak with moral certitude for our Catholic beliefs and values. Any journalistic attempt at editorial sarcasm against the Catholic bishops is a direct affront to millions of Catholics in the United States and indeed the world.
Catholic moral and social teachings that proclaim respect for the dignity of all human life are the hallmarks of our Catholic Bishops teachings throughout the world. For a newspaper to attack our hierarchy of Bishops, through whatever means, they attack our theological sanctity and traditions on and in an insensitive, anti-Catholic manner.
Regardless of any journalists sentiments regarding political issues or topics, there is no room for any blanket condemnation of our American Catholic Bishops and their human life teachings and policies. As a Catholic author and as a faithful Catholic…such arrogance and sentiments against our religious expressions of faith are beyond journalistic integrities. Journalists have, and indeed the Press collectively has a responsibility to objectively report and recount events as they simply ARE, without any indication of political, theological or social sentimentality.
As a Catholic, I am offended by the blatant lack of sensitivity to issues of human life, values and moral convictions by the Washington Press. Similarly, intentional “Bishop Bashing” against the collective teachings of a Catholic entity is not acceptable and should not be tolerated by any religious organization including Catholics. We share the same constitutional rights as all religious groups in the United States and oppose such overt anti-Catholic rhetoric as totally inexcusable and not acceptable.
Mr. Feuerherd …if you want to bash any ideological philosophy or hypothetical collection of personal beliefs you are free to do so. However, any editorial comments that collectively attack the American Catholic Bishops for their correctly stated opinions on our Catholic views of human life are wrong and unacceptable.
Catholic voters have a responsibility and obligation to support our Catholic Bishops in their teachings during the political campaign. They represent for us, as Catholics, the collective voice of our moral and ethical message from Jesus Christ and the Apostles. To diminish any teachings from the American Catholic Bishops that fosters a deeper appreciation and understanding of the dignity inherent to all human life diminishes our Catholic message and freedom of theological expression.

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