National Anti-Catholic Reporter: "Extremists" Drive Church Agenda

(Hat tip: Catholic World News)

From your friendly apostate weekly:

Much attention has been paid in the past several years to what is going on in the church in Boston, and it is worthwhile to return there one last time before this year ends. For what is going on in the Boston archdiocese is, in many ways, a case study of what is occurring in the larger body of the church in the United States and elsewhere.

Boston’s special place amid church and culture wars and the seemingly intractable divisions in U.S. Catholicism were especially on display in the recent controversy over the Catholic Charities of Greater Boston Christmas Dinner.

In the most recent controversy, criticism was raised of the decision of Catholic Charities to honor Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, a Catholic, because as a politician he has supported gay rights and the right of women to choose abortion. The critics also slammed Catholic Charities for allowing 13 children to be adopted by gay or lesbian couples during the past 20 years.

But things are never so simple when the worlds of religion and politics collide. For Menino is also, apparently, an outstanding (and increasingly rare these days) advocate for the poor and the downtrodden.

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If this were merely a little Boston politics, it would be easy to overlook. It is, however, indicative of the kind of befuddled approach to the public arena that has become the Catholic hallmark in too many places.

Church leaders are being pushed and bullied by bands of extreme zealots who may refer to themselves as "authentic" Catholics but who have no bona fides beyond their small circles of discontent. One Boston area extremist who fomented opposition to the Catholic Charities dinner had this to say about Hehir on her Web site: "This man is pure unadulterated evil. He literally sends shivers up my spine. … If he and his cronies think we’re going to tolerate he [sic] and the archbishops’ material cooperation in abortions -- we’ll chase them out of town faster than you can say Voice of the Faithful."

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There is, of course, nothing authentic or Catholic about the extremist’s slander and character assassination. But it exists in abundance out there and in too many places it is driving the agenda.

We can become the absolutists, the literalists who keep cutting off limbs and poking out eyes to fend off that which we find disagreeable. Or we can rediscover the robustness of true Catholicism.

[More]

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
You see, talking about the plight of the poor and downtrodden - there's no indication that Menino has actually done anything to make their lives any better (and, in fact, NCR can only say that Menino "apparently" is a strong advocate on their behalf) - trumps all other Church teaching in the view of the dissenters at NCR.

Meanwhile, those who believe that the Church shouldn't honor politicians who advocate the murder of unborn children are "extremists" and "absolutists".

It doesn't have to be either/or. You can support taking care of the poor and still support taking care of the unborn at the same time. Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn didn't seem to have a problem with this concept.

But the apostates would have us believe that "true Catholicism" - you know, the "robust" kind - means that Church doctrine and teaching can be easily dispensed with so long as your politics fit the agenda of the National Anti-Catholic Reporter.