More on the Jesuit Spanking

The resignation of Thomas Reese as editor of the Jesuit Magazine America, which I noted in an earlier post, has prompted a lively debate at the Get Religion blog here and here.

Looking at Get Religion's take on the matter, I noticed for the first time that Terry Mattingly and Douglas LeBlanc have now added Jeremy Lott to their team. That means they now have a Orthodox Christian, an Evangelical Protestant/Episcopal (Figure that out!), and a Roman Catholic. It's an ecumenical blog.

As it happens, I do disagree with Lott's opinion of the Reese resignation. Lott argues something to the effect that any Catholic periodical which wants to amount to something better than newsletter status needs to entertain a wide variety of viewpoints. He argues against Mark Brumley of Ignatius Press who maintains that a journal representing an organ of the Catholic Church has a duty to keep its viewpoints within the limits of orthodoxy.

Lott argues that the lack of orthodox restraints on journals such as America is part of what finally exposed the priest sexual abuse scandal for what it was: sexual deviance protected through institutional coverup.

That's where I beg to differ.

The lack of orthodox restraints on Catholic journals in particular and Catholic institutions in general is what created the climate of opinion that made it possible for bishops, heads of orders, seminary presidents, and other clergy to think that any sexual deviance whatever could possibly be tolerated in the Catholic priesthood.

For Lott to commend heterodox publications for exposing abuse by priests is like commending a fox for exposing holes in the barnyard fence.

I side with Brumley, here. It is high time to for Catholics, both pontiff and people, to demand orthodoxy from the Church's various organs.

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Update (3:45 pm):

The debate at Get Reigion has prompted an even bigger debate at Amy Welborn's blog.