Leader newspapers are published weekly in New Jersey. The editorial of April 26, “Infamous salute in church is in poor taste,” was one of the more startling comments we’ve yet seen.
The editorial commented that in a Mass at St. Mary’s in Rutherford on April 22, parishioners were seen raising their right arms in a way that the newspaper likened to a Nazi salute. When a predictable uproar occurred, the newspaper attempted to explain its editorial reaction. But it did so without ever apologizing.
On May 3, in an editorial entitled, “The whole history behind the gesture,” the editors actually made matters worse when they said, “If a non-Catholic popped into mass during the blessing, he or she would likely be confused and offended.” To which William Donohue replied, “had you not been so ignorant of Roman Catholicism you would never have been offended in the first place.”
In Donohue’s letter to the newspaper, he also said “Catholics do not need to be lectured by non-Catholics about their religious teachings or practices.” Pointing out the obvious, he added, “There are lots of things about every religion that non-adherents might find strange or inexplicable.” He concluded by arguing “it is the height of arrogance for those of some other faith—or no faith at all—to demand that someone else’s religious practices be tailored to their wishes.”
Talk about chutzpah, this one tops them all.
