On April 30, a Pennsylvania radio station aired an editorial by Mark Marek that lectured Pope John Paul II on Catholic doctrine. WLSH, located in Lansford, Pennsylvania, aired the broadcast that many local Catholics found offensive.
Marek, a former Catholic, took umbrage with the pope for his Holy Thursday statement reaffirming Catholic doctrine on marriage, Holy Communion and other matters. In his remarks, Marek not only challenged the wisdom of these teachings, he accused the pope of “stirring up anger” in the U.S. and abroad. “Instead of issuing a letter promoting peace and words of comfort,” Marek said, “the Vatican boys conjure up this fire and brimstone encyclical that drives another spike into an already weakened Catholic Church.”
We didn’t care for his little lecture and let the media know of our concerns:
“The Catholic League does not object when non-Catholics criticize the Catholic Church for its teachings on subjects that have a public policy impact. But there is a fundamental difference between public policy issues such as hospital mergers and school vouchers and doctrinal matters such as the Sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Eucharist. This is why Mark Marek crossed the line: it is no more the business of WLSH to lecture the Catholic Church on its internal affairs than it is the business of the Catholic Church to lecture WLSH on its internal affairs.”
We asked WLSH station manager Bill Lakatas to request an on-air apology by Marek.
