Catholic League president Bill Donohue discusses New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof’s article from today’s paper:
Recently, Nicholas Kristof has been on a mission to assure Catholics that he likes them, but that he can’t stand the institutional Church. Indeed, he has condemned the “patriarchal premodern” Vatican as an “out of touch” and “self-absorbed” “old boys’ club.” Today’s article is no different.
Kristof is upset that Phoenix bishop Thomas Olmsted has spoken out against a nun who helped to facilitate an abortion at a Catholic hospital. Kristof goes out of his way to paint her as a “saintly” nun “who helped save a woman’s life.” What he just can’t wrap his head around is that by her involvement in the decision, the nun automatically excommunicated herself. What really gets his goat is the Catholic Church’s unwavering position that no abortion can ever be justified.
On par with the Times, Kristof loathes the Church for its stance on abortion, contraception and women’s ordination. Indeed, he has touched on this triumvirate in his recent hit jobs on the Church. Kristof believes that the “true” Church is the grassroots one. While it is true that lay Catholics play an integral role in the Church—just as reporters at the Times play a critical role for the newspaper—the decision making body in the Church is the Magisterium (the pope in communion with the bishops), just as the editorial board makes the decisions at the Times.
In Kristof’s bifurcated world there are two Catholic Churches. He needs a reality check: there is but one Roman Catholic Church
Contact NYT public editor Clark Hoyt: public@nytimes.com
