I'm thinking the National Catholic Reporter must be some sort of parody or false flag operation run by Fundamentalists or something.
Case in point, Fr. Thomas Reece is purportedly a Jesuit priest and a Senior Analyst for what National Schismatic Reporter (aka Fishwrap). But he and his readers consider themselves more Catholic than the pope, or at least the American bishops. He is certain that the mark of true Catholic charity is to be found in tut-tutting doctrinal orthodoxy and tsk-tsking those benighted spirits who don't share his enlightened (read politically Progressive) views.
Case in point, Fr. Thomas Reece is purportedly a Jesuit priest and a Senior Analyst for what National Schismatic Reporter (aka Fishwrap). But he and his readers consider themselves more Catholic than the pope, or at least the American bishops. He is certain that the mark of true Catholic charity is to be found in tut-tutting doctrinal orthodoxy and tsk-tsking those benighted spirits who don't share his enlightened (read politically Progressive) views.
Fr. Reece sees the Church in the world
through an unfortunately bifurcated lens. In charity, I will say that
his concern for the poor and for Progressive causes has blinded him
to the real meaning of “the
consistent ethic of life.” That blindness leads him to say
things like this: “The last thing
troubled families need is bishops quoting papal encyclicals to them.”
I could say that he appears to believe that troubled families need
access to abortion, birth control and divorce more than they need the
pastoral teaching of the Magisterium to show them what is truly true
and beautiful and good. Perhaps he would have the bishops do away
with Jesus’teaching as well that “what God has joined let no man
put asunder.”etc. Frankly, there are trillions of tax dollars and
billions of corporate and private charitable dollars going to help
the poor. Somehow, they are not having the desired effect. Perhaps
Fr. Reese should spend some time thinking about why the Progressive
program to help the poor has failed so miserably. At the same time,
there are precious few who are willing to defend the Truth in regards
to the Family and sexual ethics. Does the proud Father consider that
the bishops’ voices appear louder on those subjects because there
are so few other voices? Fr. Reese’ is missing from the pro-family
chorus. And I have the sorry sense that he wished the bishops would
be silent too – or worse, join the amen chorus of Progressives who
cheer the re-definition of marriage, the dissolution of the family,
the misdirection of an individual’s sexual powers, the intentional
sterility of the womb and the death (when “compassion” demands)
of the unborn.
