William Donohue’s analysis of the fifth episode of “Nothing Sacred” is as follows:
“The priests on ‘Nothing Sacred’ are what we call in the real world ‘losers.’ Fr. Ray identifies himself to an old friend as a social worker (Fr. Eric also describes him this way). This is accurate: he is not a priest. Laboring under more doubts about the job he’s in, Fr. Ray runs away and says, ‘Sometimes I wish I could just disappear.’ So do we.
“The few who like the show have repeatedly said that Fr. Ray is balanced by Fr. Leo and Fr. Eric . Their idea of balance was shown last night when Fr. Leo dutifully apologizes to Rachel, the girl who had the abortion, about his ‘judgmental ‘ attitude. Moreover, neither he nor any of the other priests showed one ounce of compassion for Rachel’s mother: when she learned that her daughter had an abortion, and was taken aback by the news, no priest made any attempt to comfort her (read: abortion is unfortunate, not wrong). And it was instructive to see that Fr. Leo is so depressed about his job that he, like Fr. Ray, runs away. Keep going we say .
“The best was Fr. Eric. When asked by high school kids about Adam and Eve and the Holy Spirit, Fr. Eric is totally dumbfounded. Indeed, the doubting students prove to be quicker and brighter than their teacher. In short, elementary teachings of the Church can’t be defended by this jerk of a priest.
“Adding to the fun was meeting Fr. Philip. Like Fr. Ray and Fr. Leo, he’s depressed. He’s also an alcoholic, has spots on his hands (from what we can only guess) and confesses that he has no family or friends. In short, he fits in like a glove.
“The show is pathetic. But I must admit it does provide the Catholic League with lots of laughs.”
