- implies that the Church is open to the charge of "anti-homosexual prejudice, even bigotry"
- says that the Church should "move beyond a sterile state of disapproval" of homosexuality, lest it "lose the sympathy of wide sections of the public"
- criticises "the Church's inability to comprehend and value [homosexual persons'] emotional lives [and] their relationships"
- implies homosexual love "is to be treasured and respected"
- insists that homosexuals must be defined "positively ... by their affections"
- claims that there are homosexual couples who "demonstrate a constancy and a stability in their partnerships that, rather than causing scandal, set an example to their heterosexual friends and relations"
- questions whether homosexual men or women are unsuitable parents
- questions whether homosexuality is unnatural, and implies that homosexuality is innate rather than acquired
Most perniciously, The Tablet's editorial attempts to co-opt Pope Benedict, the late Cardinal Hume and the former Master-General of the Dominicans. Whilst the quoted words of the latter two leave (to say the least) a lot to be desired, in no way can any words of Pope Benedict be used to endorse homosexuality. The editorial nonetheless claims that "the reintegration of erotic love into Christian spirituality" in his encyclical Deus caritas est "has a direct relevance" which provides a "compelling" basis for normalising homosexual love. Although the editorial admits that "[t]he role of eros in homosexuality the Pope leaves alone", it still uses the Pope's reflection on eros to promote a pro-homosexual agenda, even though the Pope clearly stated that his definition of eros is "love between man and woman" [Deus caritas est, 3]
The Tablet's editorial goes beyond mere opinion, and is in fact a manifesto for homosexual equality. To that end, it is part of a softening-up and consciousness-raising exercise within the Church. It is clear that The Tablet intends to use the months leading up to the Pope's visit as part of a media campaign to entrench an anti-life and anti-family agenda within official Catholic circles. In The Tablet's 30 January edition, Sue Gaisford, The Tablet's literary editor, writes about Kay Gilderdale, who helped cause the death of Lynn, her daughter who had ME:
"[S]he was innocent of attempted murder. Nor - and this is harder - do I think that what she did could be considered sinful."In contrast, Pope Benedict made clear in his ad limina address to the Scottish bishops that:
"Support for euthanasia strikes at the very heart of the Christian understanding of the dignity of human life."One hundred years ago, St Pius X, a similarly courageous pope, rejected the very essence of Tablet-think when he taught that Catholic teaching
"[does not] evolve and change from one meaning to another different from the one which the Church held previously"and
"may [not] be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age".It is simply a matter of historical fact that official Catholic teaching on pro-life and pro-life family matters has never changed. Some of the Church's earliest documents condemn abortion, euthanasia, contraception and homosexuality.
The only reason I am subscribed to receive (a single copy of) The Tablet is so I can expose its deceitful agenda. For a parish priest, however, to take (i.e. subscribe to) The Tablet in bulk for sale to his parishioners is like a psychiatrist ordering cyanide capsules in bulk for sale to his depressed patients. The Tablet isn't known as "The Bitter Pill" for nothing, not least its notorious dissent from Humanae Vitae.
Some may argue that it's wrong to seek to restrict The Tablet's distribution, arguing that there are other publications on sale at churches which offer a counter-balance to it. Yet, again, it makes no sense to supply poison liberally simply because there are antidotes available. Pope Benedict made this clear in his ad limina address to the English and Welsh bishops:
"[I]t is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate."We should prepare for Pope Benedict's visit to Britain in September by honouring that teaching and by deleting The Tablet. I am therefore today joining Fr Tim Finigan's campaign "Tabula delenda est" (image courtesy of Fr Finigan) to encourage churches and other Catholic points of sale to cancel their bulk subscriptions.
Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk
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