Thomas Fox, publisher of the National Catholic Reporter, warned the media today of the likelihood that the Vatican may veto the document that will be approved this afternoon by the U.S. bishops in Dallas. Fox based his remarks on a report by John Allen, the Rome correspondent for the weekly newspaper, that appears today on the website of the National Catholic Reporter.
Catholic League president William Donohue commented as follows:
“Nothing pleases the National Catholic Reporter more than division in the Catholic Church. They thrive on it and indeed contribute to it.
“The latest example is today’s irresponsible remarks by Thomas Fox. He pretended to be breaking a story when, in fact, there is nothing to break. Everyone knows that there are a few in the Vatican who have been advising the U.S. bishops not to overextend themselves in Dallas. But when the president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Wilton Gregory, was asked about this yesterday, he rightly said, ‘I put more confidence in the Holy Father than all the other canonical opinions.’ Now let’s remember what the Holy Father said when the U.S. cardinals met in Rome in April. He called child sexual molestation a ‘crime’ and not just a sin. And he said there was no place in the priesthood for such men.
“Our problem is less with John Allen than with Tom Fox. Allen did not sensationalize his story the way Fox did on TV. What Allen said was that last Saturday he met a Belgian cardinal while waiting for his bags at an airport and, lo and behold, the cardinal offered some reservations about the bishops going too far. That’s it.
“It is irresponsible for any journalist, pundit or activist to exploit the Dallas conference for the purpose of furthering his agenda. And that’s exactly what the National Catholic Reporter did in this instance.”
