Who Said "Lord Cardinals"?

Sr. Sue Rakoczy
As Displayed On Her Blog Post

A blogger recently had a rant about how disturbed she was at the fact that the Pope made use of the term “Lord Cardinals” during the recent consistory. The blogger, sadly a Catholic nun, then went on to dispense advice on the Gospel reading that the Pope should have used and why it is that the Pope should not have used the term “Lord”.

There is one problem with this nun’s rant. She is unable to provide her source for the term “Lord Cardinals”, which she says the Pope used. I, and some others, have searched the Internet in an attempt to find where it is that the Pope used this term “Lord Cardinals”. It cannot be found anywhere. A few people, including me, have posted comments on her blog asking that the nun reveal her source. Yet, this nun just keeps mum. 

It should also be noted that the Pope did in fact make reference to the Gospel reading, which the nun suggested the Pope should have used. (I wonder, did this nun actually do any research or did she just wake up one morning and launch out to bash the Pope?)

Sr. Sue Rakoczy, the nun in question, may of course blog about whatever she wants, if it is her own blog. However it is not, because it is linked directly to The Southern Cross, our only Catholic newspaper in South Africa. I have searched and am unable to find an independent blog by Sr. Sue Rakoczy. The only way one gets to her blog is through The Southern Cross website. (Maybe someone could direct me to a link that is independent of The Southern Cross.)

This particular post by Sr. Sue Rakoczy is displayed prominently on the homepage of The Southern Cross as I write this post and it has been there for 14 days since it was first posted on 22 February 2012. The editor of the newspaper is well aware of the concerns that this nun’s blog post has raised, because he himself has responded to these concerns through a comment on the blog.

In his comment, the editor, Gunther Simmermacher, argues that, because the blog post did not appear in the print edition of The Southern Cross, the post is not considered part of the newspaper. What utter nonsense! 

Firstly, as I have already explained, this blog only exists in the framework of The Southern Cross. Secondly, if The Southern Cross for a period of 14 days (at the time of me writing this post) chooses to continuously display this nun’s blog post prominently on its homepage, the newspaper cannot argue that the nun’s blog is not linked to the newspaper. Further, if the editor of the newspaper is aware of the concerns that this nun’s post may be mendacious, why would he not ask the nun to disclose her source and remove the post from the newspapers homepage, pending the source being disclosed.

The editor, Simmermacher, has previously accused me of being engaged in a “diatribe” against The Southern Cross and has taken to deleting my comments when I pose uncomfortable questions. I think it is high time that this newspaper should face the fact that it is failing Catholics in South Africa. Censoring me, by using disingenuous arguments to divert attention from the truth, is not going to change the reality editor!

This nun’s blog is just another example of how this newspaper engages in “Pope” bashing and “Church” bashing, while at the same time just blatantly ignoring important subjects that Catholics in this country should be made aware of. In addition to ignoring important news, the newspaper has also on occasions published articles, which are not always complete. An example is the recent articles and editorial on "conscience", which provided an incomplete explanation of the subject, with a real danger of misleading Catholics. (See my post “Contraception & Humanae Vitae” for more on this.)

I hope that the editor of The Southern Cross will eventually do the right thing and ensure that the source be disclosed by Sr. Sue Rakoczy, failing which the blog post must be deleted and in its place a new blog, with apologies to the Pope and the readers, must be posted in an equally prominent place on the homepage of the newspaper, for the same period of time; currently 14 days!