As I sat down to eat my lunch on Friday while reading Student Life, I nearly choked when I read the article “Church of hate” by Caleb Posner. As I read through the article, I became more and more frustrated by the lack of the fullness of truth and the hypocritical tone of the author. However, before I delve in too far, first let me state that there is no room in our or any society for discrimination in any of its forms, including anti-Semitism. What Bishop Williamson said is categorically unacceptable and flat out wrong. Had Mr. Posner’s article focused solely on this, I would have had no objection to the article; however, what was presented was in fact an attack on the Catholic Church.

At the beginning of his article he states, “There are many things both in centuries past and in recent years for which to criticize the Catholic Church.” I cannot argue with this fact; there are many things in the history of the Catholic Church which I, as a Catholic, am not proud of. Nevertheless, I challenge him to find any organization that is flawless. As stated in the Bible, “Let the person among you who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7). Moreover, I found it highly ironic, one might even say hypocritical, that someone who titles his article “Church of hate” would write such a hate-filled piece. Perhaps a better title for his work would be “The hated Church.”

I also find his interpretation of Nostra Aetate to be quite interesting. Posner writes that “…Nostra Aetate, the declaration that formally established that the Jews were no more responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus than any other peoples.” What the pertinent part of the document actually states is “True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ; still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures.” Perhaps Mr. Posner should apply this logic to the Catholic Church. Of course there are going to be people within the Church who are going to do or say stupid, hurtful things, but to state that the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church is a “Church of hate” because of a few people or actions is utterly reprehensible in my opinion.

While Mr. Posner is certainly entitled to be skeptical of the Catholic Church and feel that it has no place “in our modern and rational society,” I do not feel that he is entitled to use his bully pulpit to preach views which are not only flawed but also hypocritical. If we look at the definition of hate, we find that it is “intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury” (M-W.com). Based on his column, it would seem that the author is full of hate.