National Catholic Reporter MUST be Banned by US Bishops

From 2016, but no less timely now than it was then. 

From Lepanto Institute

By Michael Hichborn

In its latest bid for “Most Heretical Publication Since the 95 Theses of Martin Luther,” the National Catholic Reporter has really outdone itself.  Bearing the headline, “Editorial: Our persons of the year for 2015,” National Catholic Reporter officially honored the plaintiffs behind the most immoral Supreme Court decision since Roe v. Wade, saying:

“For their historic roles as plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges and for their faithful public witness as gay Catholics, we name Greg Bourke and Michael DeLe­on NCR‘s persons of the year for 2015.”

What Bourke and DeLeon did, and have been doing in their “committed relationship” of 33 years, including their pretend “marriage” in Canada in 2004, is not only gravely shameful and supremely scandalous, but has forced a moral abomination upon the entire nation.  By calling Bourke and DeLeon “faithful public witnesses as gay Catholics” and honoring them as persons of the year, National Catholic Reporter has made it abundantly clear for all to see that it is not Catholic, it doesn’t want to be Catholic, and in fact, it hates Catholic teaching and the Catholic Church.  So the big question is, “Why is National Catholic Reporter still allowed access to official high-profile Catholic functions?”

The Code of Canon Law, 831 forbids the faithful from writing anything for publications that openly attack the Catholic faith or good morals:

“CAN. 831 §1. Except for a just and reasonable cause, the Christian faithful are not to write anything for newspapers, magazines, or periodicals which are accustomed to attack openly the Catholic religion or good morals; clerics and members of religious institutes, however, are to do so only with the permission of the local ordinary.”

The fact of the matter is the National Catholic Reporter has a long history of spreading heresy and attacking the eternal Truths taught by Holy Mother Church. Here are a few examples of NCR’s vicious assaults on the Catholic Religion and good morals:

• NCR Officially Promotes and Supports Women’s Ordination
  • Editorial: Ordination of women would correct an injustice – “Our message is that we believe the sensus fidelium is that the exclusion of women from the priesthood has no strong basis in Scripture or any other compelling rationale; therefore, women should be ordained … NCR joins its voice with Roy Bourgeois and calls for the Catholic church to correct this unjust teaching.”
  • Editorial: We need fearless discussion on women’s ordination – “First, we need bold, fearless discussion on the question of women’s ordination. Simple declarations that “the door is closed” cannot be the answer. Second, Francis and other church leaders must see that a ban on full participation by women in the church is obsolete and is no longer culturally significant. Many people — too many people — in the church are prevented from speaking on this issue, some through outright bans and directives, most through intimidation and fear of losing livelihoods and careers. Those of us with the freedom to speak up against this injustice must do so loudly.“
  • NCR on women’s ordination: What took you so long? – ” I am delighted that the National Catholic Reporter has formally, on its editorial page, endorsed the ordination of women in the Catholic church.”
  • 5 minutes with Francis: Women’s ordination – “I am a Roman Catholic Woman Priest … Women priests within the Roman Catholic tradition are shining a light on what the future holds for Roman Catholicism.” [Editor’s note: Our first contribution has special distinction, as it was originally submitted for the print publication. It is this opinion piece that gave NCR the idea for the 5 minutes with Francis blog series.]
• NCR Officially Promotes and Supports Sodomy and Sodomitical Relationships
  • LGBT Catholics hope that synod on family will lead to welcome for all – “LGBT Catholics hope that the synod will recognize the variety of families in the Christian community and include all kinds in its pastoral ministry. After all, if Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, the Holy Family was a nontraditional one.”
  • What makes a family? – “I’m not sure that the church will ever change its views about lesbian and gay people, but I firmly believe my relationship with Honour is a blessing God bestowed on me. All the opposition we encountered from society and church teachings could never shatter my trust that our love is a gift from God.”
  • Same-sex marriage: The sky is not falling – “On the practical level, how will parishes respond to same-sex marriage? … We will encourage them to participate fully in the life of the church, including the Eucharist. We will treat everyone with respect and dignity. We will allow them the right of their own conscience.”
  • How the bishops should respond to the same-sex marriage decision – “It is time for the bishops to admit defeat and move on. Gay marriage is here to stay, and it is not the end of civilization as we know it.”
• NCR Officially Promotes and Supports Contraception
  • The Catholic church should partner with Planned Parenthood to reduce abortions – “The U.S. bishops and their national staff are deeply and heavily invested in the view of Planned Parenthood as the evil opposition to a “pro-life” view of the world. Would the U.S. bishops as a whole be open to working with Planned Parenthood in a collegial, cooperative manner to reduce abortions? … Just this past month, the New York Times reported that dramatic success of the use of contraception in the reduction of teen pregnancies in Colorado. … Would the U.S. bishops deny this vulnerable cohort free contraception knowing that an abortion is the highly expected result of an unplanned pregnancy?”
  • ‘Laudato Si” should have lifted the ban on contraception – “For the sake of the earth and of the poor, it is time for the church to admit that the ban on artificial contraception is doing far more harm than good.”
  • Why isn’t anyone talking about the synod’s paragraphs on contraception? – “For the global poor, access to contraception can mean the difference between starvation and nourishment, poverty and stability, illness and health, death and life.”
  • Francis, contraception and climate change – “If I could speak to Pope Francis directly, I would say: ‘Really? You are in the Philippines urging people to deal with widespread poverty and you include in your talk an anti-contraception message? Really? Do you see no contradiction in those messages?'”

NCR’s Michael Sean Winters even wrote a piece praising the anthem of the Communist Internationale:

“The other day, on the radio, I heard an NPR report on the funeral of the “dear leader” Kim Jong Il and the report started with masses of Koreans singing “The Internationale.” Wow. Not every day you hear that! The NPR reporter did not call attention to the music, which I hope every good leftie still remembers.

I could not find a video of that part of the ceremony but here is a recording of what is really a splendid piece of music in Korean:”

The code of Canon Law establishes that those who do what National Catholic Reporter does (established in the above list), should be punished with a just penalty:

Can. 1369 A person who in a public show or speech, in published writing, or in other uses of the instruments of social communication utters blasphemy, gravely injures good morals, expresses insults, or excites hatred or contempt against religion or the Church is to be punished with a just penalty.

In fact, the National Catholic Reporter was firmly condemned under the strictest terms by its local ordinary, Bishop Charles Helmsing, in 1968.  In his letter of official condemnation, Bishop Helmsing suggested that NCR’s writers may be guilty of formal heresy, saying:

“It has given lengthy space to a blasphemous and heretical attack on the Vicar of Christ. It is difficult to see how well instructed writers who deliberately deny and ridicule dogmas of our Catholic faith can possibly escape the guilt of the crime defined in Canon 1325 on heresy, and how they can escape the penalties of automatic excommunication entailed thereby.

In fairness to our Catholic people, I hereby issue an official condemnation of the National Catholic Reporter. Furthermore, I send this communication to my brother bishops, and make known to the priests, religious and laity of the nation my views on the poisonous character of this publication.…

IN AS MUCH as the National Catholic Reporter does not reflect the teaching of the Church, but on the contrary, has openly and deliberately opposed this teaching. I ask the editors in all honesty to drop the term “Catholic” from their masthead. By retaining it they deceive their Catholic readers and do a great disservice to ecumenism by being responsible for the false irenicism of watering down Catholic teachings.”

In 2013, Bishop Robert Finn reaffirmed this condemnation, adding that “NCR’s positions against authentic Church teaching and leadership have not changed trajectory in the intervening decades.”

Even in light of Canon Law, condemnation by the local ordinary, and a steady barrage against the immutable teachings of the Catholic Church, the  National Catholic Reporter is given unobstructed access to official Catholic events, the publication is subscribed to by priests and parishes, and Bishops and Cardinals continue to legitimize this rag by providing NCR with interviews.  Here are a few examples:

1. NCR Interviews Cardinal Donald Wuerl
2. NCR Interviews Archbishop Blase Cupich
3. NCR Interviews Archbishop John Wester, former head of the USCCB’s Communications Committee
4. NCR Interviews Cardinal Sean O’Malley
5. NCR Interviews Bishop Robert McElroy
6. NCR Interviews Cardinal Christoph Schonborn
7. NCR Interviews Cardinal Francis George
8. NCR Interviews Archbishop Mark Coleridge
9. NCR Interviews Cardinal Timothy Dolan
10. NCR Interviews Archbishop Joseph Kurtz

Right now, the Catholic Church is in the grip of a mass exodus from the Faith and National Catholic Reporter is leading the desertion.  It will take courage, strength and sacrifice from the Princes of the Church to save the multitude of souls being led away by the deceits of this publication.  Our prelates must defend the faithful against such vicious lies.  Our bishops must collectively condemn the National Catholic Reporter and deny it any and all access to formal Catholic events and clerics.