Surprise, surprise: the media still can’t seem to get their act together on the Pope’s words. Continuing the sloppy reporting on the Pope’s recent press conference, USA Today’s print version flubbed the Pope’s remarks on women’s ordination.
While hyperventilating over the Pope’s words on gays, the paper mistakenly claimed that the Pope’s remark “closes door on women’s ordination” – implying that the so-called door previously had been open.
The sidebar on USA Today’s front page read: “Pontiff signals openness in remarks on gay priests … but closes door on women’s ordination.” The article on the second page continued the misrepresentation, suggesting that Francis had shut down a possibility. “He closed the door on women’s ordination as priests,” wrote Bob Smietana and Eric J. Lyman, “while seemingly opening another for gay priests.”
The online version [1] of the USA Today article corrected the inaccurate wording, more correctly stating that the Pope had said “the door was closed” – rather than making it sound like he closed the door himself.
Apparently USA Today authors aren’t the best at keeping up on their Catholic theology. The door didn’t “close” because it was never open: women priests have never been a possibility for the Catholic Church, a teaching which has been explained and reaffirmed as recently as the reign of Pope John Paul II. [2]
But then again, recent media coverage of the Pope’s comments has been overreaction at best and ridiculous at worst [3], sparking frustration [4] from faithful Catholics. When it comes to gay marriage and women priests, liberals in the media are deaf to what they don’t want to hear, and will probably keep pushing their agenda against the Church’s traditional stance. Even if the Church has to keep explaining why this doctrine doesn’t change. Again. [5] And again [6]. And again. [7]