Mollie over at GetReligion.org has posted a great commentary on our local newspaper’s coverage of the Bishop Clark retirement story. Headlined “Media canonizes Roman Catholic Bishop of Rochester,” it begins …
A reader sent in this story from the (Rochester, New York) Democrat and Chronicle with the note, “Is it possible to be any less subtle in presenting one’s subject as a saint? Or, conversely, anyone who disagrees as possibly evil?”
I suppose I can imagine less subtlety. But this is definitely up there. Headlined “Bishop Matthew Clark leaving indelible mark on diocese,” it’s an article that tells us about the blissfully wonderful and compassionate and beautiful and fantastic era of Rochester Bishop Matthew H. Clark and the horribly mean and awful and “stern” and “foreboding” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. That backwards and possibly evil Ratzinger had the audacity to tell Clark to stop promoting teachings that contradict church doctrine.
While the entire post is excellent, one money quote does stand out:
In general the story pits “ideologues” (those are the bad guys who align with the Vatican) against the “compassionate” (those are the good guys who support all the things the right people support). You’ll note that you only get described as an ideologue if you’re on one side of the issue. If you take an ideological position on the other side, well, then, you’re still just compassionate and loving and beautiful and kind and let’s shed tears of joy and what not.
You can find the entire post here.
H/T: Thinkling
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Seriously: I seem to recall that the mark of Cain was also indelible.
Light: However I have a scoop on the new bishop!!! I had a dream the other night and dreamed that I had gone to heaven. At the heavenly gates, I was going through the orthodox screening/soul scan when St Peter was called aside by the Lord Himself and I heard what they had to say!! The Lord said to Peter: you have been at this for close to 2 thousand years and I think you need a break. I want you and My Mother to go down to Rochester for a while and straighten things out. Take Moses with you to reinstate my Old Testament rules and you tell them of the New Testament rules first hand. And let My Mother clean house. Right after this comment, Mary of Magdala came by, dropped to her knees and revived Peter with aromatic smelling salts.
At this point I woke up and heard Mark Hare’s new morning radio show! (Or was I still asleep?) and said a prayer “heaven help us!!”
LOL ^^