Morning After Pill of UK ‘c’atholics – @The_Tablet – Falsehood About @BishopMorlino

The Tablet is the UK equivalent of the National Catholic Distorter, a/k/a the National Catholic Fishwrap. Why am I not surprised that they are ignorant of the Calendar?

From Fr Z's Blog

The Morning After Pill of the liberal catholic media in the UK, The Tablet (aka The Bitter Pill, aka RU-486) published a piece about states in these USA which opened investigations into clerical sexual abuse.

In that piece the writer makes a false claim about Bp. Robert C. Morlino of Madison.

The way The Pill threaded their fallacious non-sequitur into their article, suggests an intent to harm Bp. Morlino’s reputation.

Many bishops, including Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Bishop Robert Morlino, of Madison and Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix praised Viganò’s integrity and honesty without mentioning Francis.

This is patently false.  It was easily fact-checked, which means that The Morning After Pill seems to have intended to deceive.

Bp. Morlino, in his 27 August Statement, did indeed mention Francis.  HERE  He addressed the issue of The Viganò Testimony, which explicitly concerned matters touching on Francis.  He wrote about Francis several times, including renewing his “filial affection” for him.  It was precisely in this statement about Viganò that Bp. Morlino did mention Francis

Bp. Morlino, in his 18 August Letter to the Diocese, did not mention Francis. HERE But there was no need to.  He was reacting to L’Affaire McCarrick and the PA Grand Jury.  He was addressing “sexual sins by bishops, priests, and even cardinals”.  He encouraged the people of the diocese to contact the diocese with any concerns and to pray and to do penance.  He explained the Church’s teaching about homosexuality.  He wrote about how “The sins and crimes of McCarrick, and of far too many others in the Church, bring suspicion and mistrust upon many good and virtuous priests, bishops, and cardinals,”

Should Bp. Morlino have included Francis in that list? Is that The Pill wanted?

The Pill went on:

Other bishops, including Cardinals Donald Wuerl of Washington and Joseph Tobin of Newark announced that they would hold services of penance on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which was yesterday.

First, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, as per the liturgical calendar of the Conference of England and Wales, remains 14 September, tomorrow as I write.  However, note “other bishops”, which would exclude Chaput, Morlino and Olmsted.

I don’t know what is going on in Phoenix and in Philadelphia, but I do know what is going on in Madison.

In his 18 August Letter to the Diocese Bp. Morlino wrote:

Finally, I ask you all to join me and the entire clergy of the Diocese of Madison in making public and private acts of reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all the sins of sexual depravity committed by members of the clergy and episcopacy. I will be offering a public Mass of reparation on Friday, September 14, the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross, at Holy Name Heights and I ask all pastors to do the same in their own parishes. In addition, I ask that all priests, clergy, religious, and diocesan employees join me in observing the upcoming Autumn Ember Days (Sep. 19, 21, and 22) as days of fasting and abstinence in reparation for the sins and outrages committed by members of the clergy and episcopacy and I invite all the faithful to do the same. Some sins, like some demons, can only be driven out by prayer and fasting.

The Morning After Pill of UK catholics implied that while Wuerl and Tobin and “other bishops” really care about Francis and victims, Morlino, Chaput and Olmsted don’t.  That’s mendacious in the extreme.  It is both mendacious and professionally incompetent.

It is no surprise that The Tablet would solidly support the green ink brigade that is Team Francis.  It is pathetic, but not a surprise.