Catholic Belief Now Defined by Media and Sociologists?

Doug Erickson and Michele Dillon

This Sunday, reporter Doug Erickson and Sociology professor Michele Dillon attempted to define Catholic beliefs without consulting the Catholic Church.

The Wisconsin State Journal Progressive, in its usual presumptive manner, has bypassed reality and offered their Wisconsin readership a fantasy, in which Catholic Church doctrine is not longer determined by the teachings of Jesus Christ or by the Magisterium of the Church with the Pope and Bishops, but doctrine is declared up for grabs by the individual, and “Cafeteria Catholicism” is encouraged.

Doug Erickson’s article on the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council bypasses  contacting the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Madison, or the Vatican, and relies on the word of one dissident Catholic, a professor of sociology from New Hampshire, to interpret the meaning of Vatican II.  And MIS-interpret she does.

Cafeteria Catholicism as about as valid as cafeteria mathematics, cafeteria medicine, or cafeteria law.  The teachings of mathematics, or of medicine, or of the law are not subject to the whims of individuals, and those who misrepresent a discipline are doing a disservice to all.

The article goes beyond Wisconsin State Journal’s and Doug Erickson’s usual imbalanced reporting and misrepresentation of the Church this time by completely omitting any input at all from religious experts of the Catholic Church.

  • The Catholic Church has actually organized a year’s worth of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Vatican II.  The commemoration is called the Year of Faith, is listed on the Vatican website, and Doug Erickson missed this; the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides information and videos on the Year of Faith, and Doug Erickson apparently missed these.
  • The Diocese of Madison has a year’s worth of events scheduled around the Year of Faith, listed on the Diocesan web page, and Doug Erickson also missed this.
  • Madison’s Cathedral Parish has a year’s worth of homilies and discussion groups planned on the documents of Vatican II, listed on the website, and Doug Erickson, again, has missed this.
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    This hat-trick is remarkable.

Bishop Morlino stands with Pope Benedict

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Listen to Bishop Morlino’s homily today for his reaction to this article and on their misrepresentation of Vatican II.

For additional accurate information on Vatican II, Monsignor Holmes, rector of Madison’s Cathedral Parish, has also scheduled about 20 homilies on the documents of Vatican II.  The first two of this series are available on the parish website at Revelation and Faith and at Scripture, Tradition and Magisterium.

The Wisconsin State Journal and Doug Erickson should stop masquerading as religion reporters who “explore matters of faith, values and ethics in Wisconsin”, and should be truthful about their attempts to misrepresent Catholicism and undermine the wisdom of the Catholic Church, or they should at least do a little research.

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