Traitors within [UPDATE]

Last month I wrote a blog post wondering why a New Age meditation technique was being promoted in the local Catholic newspaper that is given out free to parishioners in the Wellington and Palmerston North Catholic Dioceses. This month's newspaper is even worse.

I can see why there is a problem with editorial oversight with regards as to what gets published. The Editor has a very anti-Catholic framework that she is working from.

In this month's editorial, Cecily McNeill attacks the Pope. In a way that I would expect a non-Catholic do so, such as the bunny from the Dominion Post, not an editor in charge of a Catholic newspaper.

Some horrors have been perpetrated in the name of Christianity—the Crusades of the Middle Ages spring to mind—and Christianity has had a significant impact on our society. Our calendar comes from Pope Gregory XIII and uses the Anno Domini system of dating from the incarnation of Christ. Is it any wonder that the church is occasionally under attack particularly when church leaders make ill-advised statements or actions—Pope Benedict on the use of condoms against HIV/AIDS in Africa and a Brazilian archbishop’s excommunication of those who helped save the life of a pregnant, nine-year-old girl?

The word ‘catholic’ means ‘including a wide variety of things’ and indeed the church we know shows enormous diversity in its beliefs according to the culture of its adherents. So it is not surprising that the church has been under media attack lately.

Rather than try to defend the indefensible, it is worth putting these cases in the context of the work the church does throughout the world.

Maybe rather than trying to "defend the indefensible", Cecily McNeill should just get out of the way and let those of us who can defend the Church, do so without people such as herself helping those who would misrepresent us and confusing all the people who read the newspaper into thinking the Pope is wrong. And maybe Archbishop Dew could replace her with an editor who actually has a clue.


[UPDATE] Did a little research on the woman. I'm surprised. Cecily has an MA in Theology and a lifetime of journalistic experience, and yet she still cannot defend the Pope or the Catholic position on condoms or abortion. Incredible.

[UPDATE 2] How interesting. Cecily's personal opinion is that the renegade parish in Brisbane is following Jesus and it's very exciting and she wants to visit. Considering one of the many issues there is blatant disobedience against the Bishop, and Cecily working for the Bishop's newspaper in Wellington, I wonder if this is an opinion she would be comfortable with being well-known.

Related Link: Church Catholic in Every Way ~ Wel-com