Regarding the controversy of The Tablet’s defiant dissent from many of the doctrines of the Faith and its habitual disloyalty towards Pope Benedict XVI Archbishop Nichols should follow the example of Bishop Finn of Kansas City who has announced this week that The National Catholic Reporter is not a ‘Catholic’ publication and should not advertise itself as such.
Catholic World News reports:
‘In a column appearing in his diocesan newspaper, Bishop Finn notes that he, as the bishop of the diocese in which the Reporter is located, has the duty to “call the media to fidelity.” He cites the Code of Canon Law, which (in #1369) calls for “a just penalty” for anyone who “excites hatred of or contempt for religion or the Church.”
The National Catholic Reporter, Bishop Finn remarks, has taken an editorial stance that puts the publication at odds with the Church, by “officially condemning Church teaching on the ordination of women, insistent undermining of Church teaching on artificial contraception and sexual morality in general, lionizing dissident theologies while rejecting established Magisterial teaching, and a litany of other issues.” He reveals that he has received numerous complaints about the Reporter’s editorial policies.
Bishop Finn reminds his readers that in 1968 his predecessor, Bishop Charles Helmsing, directed the editors of the Reporter to remove the word “Catholic” from the title of their publication. The newspaper’s editors refused. Bishop Finn says: “From my perspective, NCR’s positions against authentic Church teaching and leadership have not changed trajectory in the intervening decades.”
The bishop discloses that soon after arriving in Kansas City, he sought to engage theReporter editors in a discussion of their fidelity to the Catholic Church, but was rebuffed. “At other times, correspondence has seemed to reach a dead end,” he adds.
Bishop Finn concludes that “as the local bishop to instruct the Faithful about the problematic nature of this media source which bears the name “Catholic.” He says that he remains willing to discuss the issue with the Reporter staff, but as things stand, “I find that my ability to influence the National Catholic Reporter toward fidelity to the Church seems limited to the supernatural level.”
Protect the Pope comment: When questioned about The Tablet’s track record of dissent Cardinal Cormac-Murphy O’Connor is reputed to have wrung his hands and complained, ‘But what can we do? There’s nothing we can do!’ This appears to be the default response of bishops when the questioned about The Tablet, they raise the brick wall of self-declared impotence to act. Bishop Finn of Kansas City has just dispatched that lame excuse through his declaration that the US equivalent of The Tablet is not a ‘Catholic’ publication. So here’s a suggested plan of action for Archbishop Nichols in whose jurisdiction the headquarters of The Tablet is located. It’s only a suggestion as obviously the decision about what actions to take is up to him as the ordinary:
- Write to Catherine Pepinster, The Tablet’s editor, to inform her and her staff that The Tablet is persistently dissenting from the doctrine of the Church, providing examples, which are many and obvious. Make it clear that if this dissent continues the consequence he will declare that it is no longer lawful for The Tablet to call itself an ‘International Catholic Weekly’, that it will no longer be lawful for The Tablet to publicize itself as ‘Catholic’, and that it will have to amend its charitable trust deeds.
- Announce through the pages of the Archdiocese of Westminster’s monthly newspaper, The Westminster Record, that The Tablet is no longer in good standing with the Archdiocese and can no longer be considered a ‘Catholic publication’ because it persistently “excites hatred of or contempt for religion or the Church” (Can 1369).
- As the President of the National Bishops Conference he announces the action he has taken against the dissent of The Tablet.
Such a course of action would make it clear to the faithful that the hierarchy of England and Wales object to the dissent promoted by The Tablet and warn the faithful that The Tablet is no longer Catholic.
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=16911
I saw that yesterday, thank you Bishop Finn
Another point:
As Archbishop, require that all parishes and other Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese to remove from sale the Tablet and encourage other Bishops to do the same.
A serious question. If the Tablet teaches heresy, which it does frequently, is it morally permissible to ensure that it is not found in Church precincts ?
Abp Nichols won’t do this. Not because he fears a backlash from the ‘liberal’ establishment, but because he is part of it. Look what happened over the Soho Mass issue. He was called to Rome and told that the Masses had to stop, and instead of just stopping them outright, he has shifted them to another church in the diocese, and made some minor cosmetic adjustments, which I can assure you will all go out the window when they think that the heat is off. He has publicly thanked them for the ‘pastoral work’ that they do and encouraged them to continue it, even though the group that runs the Masses openly dissents from Catholic teaching on homosexuality. To add to the scandal – he is even celebrating Mass for them on March 3rd. There is more, so much more, I could say about Abp Nichols, but just know this – don’t ever expect him to be a fearless and outspoken defender of the Faith. Barring a miracle of grace, it just won’t happen. Write as many letters as you will, he will not say a word against The Tablet.
“….he will not say a word against The Tablet.”
Has The Tablet some sort of hypnotic control over him?
No, The Tablet has no hypnotic control over the Abp, rather both the Abp and The Tablet are both in thrall to the bogus ‘Spirit of Vatican II’ which, to use its real name, is what Pope St Pius X called “the synthesis of all heresies” – modernism.
I predict Archbishop Nichols will do nothing. I hope I’m wrong.
Too right, Hallam Catholic.
My parish doesn’t sell Playboy or Hustler, or the secular newspapers, so why should it sell an obviously non-Catholic periodical?
[FYI, my parish doesn't sell The Tablet, either through lack of demand or the parish priest's disgust.]
As an aside, what is the point of The Tablet? I mean, I can just take The Guardian if I want my anti-Catholicism in convenient form. If I buy a Catholic publication, I expect the articles to be from a Catholic point of view. Otherwise, why buy it?
Back in the 60′s, 70′s 80′s and 90′s the Catholic Herald used to join The Tablet in promoting Catholicism-lite. How different the Herald is today.
So newspapers can change – but it usually requires both a change of owners (or Trustees in the case of The Tablet) and a change of Editor. Unfortunately the present lady Editor seems lacking both in judgement and in her knowledge of the Catholic Faith..
How sad that a periodical that once had a truly great editor in Douglas Woodruff should have fallen so low.
Woodruff (whose wife Mia was one of the Acton family) made it a platform for Hilaire Belloc, Evelyn Waugh, Ronald Knox, Christopher Dawson, Martin D’Arcy SJ, and Gerald Vann OP.
Ronald Knox, Dawson, Vann…What a list ! But there are some gifted and thoroughly orthodox younger clergy today so let us never lose hope. And the Irish Dominicans have woken up and have silenced one of their own who apparently does not believe Our Lord existed.
Is anyone seriously suggesting that a UK archbish. should take notice of someone from KANSAS?
“Is anyone seriously suggesting that a UK archbish. should take notice of someone from Nazareth?”
Yes.
Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Yes
Do I detect a slight dislike in you of things related to big brother across the Atlantic?
First it’s fat lads and now Kansas… hmm…
As well as the U.K., I wish all the other bishops in the U.S. would follow Kansas City-St. Joseph’s example!
lets just say that US attitudes are a bit different. I can feel a Doris Day moment coming on.
I always see that there are copious stocks of this rag in Westminster Cathedral whenever I visit. I wonder if Vinny will ever get his red hat? I