There's a curious determination among British Catholic bloggers to criticise their bishops for not following what the blogger sees as the correct interpretation of the Vatican's position - particularly on sexual matters. For them the magisterium of the church is not ecclesial but a private deal between Rome and them personally. Their priority is therefore not to listen and understand but to dissect and catch out. Our Bishops deserve better than this and so do our blog readers.
The result of this approach is that great Catholic issues - like Climate Change - are largely ignored by the blogging fraternity. Even though the Holy Father has said how important it is to get serious progress at the Durban international conference on climate change, the bloggers have not taken it up. Yet this is about our fundamental duty as stewards of God's creation. Just as we protect the life of the unborn child, so we have a duty to protect the planet that God has given us. Trying to trip up our bishops is not just unattractive,it distorts our priorities.
