LA Times Lectures the Pope

LA Times to Pope Benedict: Don't Listen to Conservative Catholics, by Dave Pierre. NewsBusters.org November 14, 2007:

A trip to the United States from Pope Benedict is still nearly six months away (April 2008), but the Los Angeles Times is already in a tizzy. An editorial in Wednesday's Times ("Teaching the Pope" 11/14/07) advises the Pope to shun "hard-liners" and "conservative Catholics" and listen to "other Catholics." The Times is concerned with the issue of whether or not abortion-friendly politicians who claim they are Catholic should receive Holy Communion. . . .

• Response from Carl Olson Insight Scoop:

  Because, of course, we should assume that the 80-year-old pope from Germany is completely clueless about democracy and the super-special, ultra-unique status of America, whose Constitution is nothing but a glowing homage to "Separation of Church and State!" Perhaps the author of this piece is unaware that Benedict has been studying the relationship between Church and state for, oh, over fifty years now . . .

• Response: Andrew Sumereau of American Thinker November 17, 2007:

  When the decline of newspaper readership and influence is chronicled, an enterprising author could do little better than to use this editorial as a lodestone revealing the direction of oblivion. It evinces the fulsome idiocy that drove newspapers out of business. "Teaching the pope" brings a new low to the meaning of the word nonsense. . . .

  The two thousand year history of a church, which began amidst Roman Emperors and has seen every political system, economic system, culture, geography, and condition under the sun, continues to unfold. Meanwhile the Los Angeles Times marks a century and a quarter this year, and anxiously wonders about its future prospects.

• Response: Catholics in the Public Square November 14, 2007:

  Perhaps the Los Angeles Times should consider whether the Church should remain "a public and publicly relevant authority" to those who profess the Catholic faith and yet obstinately and publicly repudiate her very teaching by their legislative actions?