condomolatry at the London Times

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Mar 18, 2009

 The London Times, always unreliable in its coverage of things Catholic, lost its editorial senses entirely yesterday when Pope Benedict suggested that giving out condoms might not be the most effective way to fight the spread of AIDS. 

So today the Times has posted four separate pieces attacking the Pope: an editorial, a guest commentary, an "analysis" piece, and something that readers are supposed to take as a news report. That last-- the alleged news report-- carries the scare headline: "Pope’s attack on condoms sickens Aids campaigners."

Leaving aside the merits of the arguments presented by the angry Times condom-worshippers, just take another look at that headline, and particularly that word "sickens." In the headline that word is not in quotes. Thus the headline writer-- representing the editors of the Times-- is putting it forward as a fact that the Pope's statement made some people sick.

But wait, you might say (especially if you're a condomolator); the Pope's statement did make some people feel sick. Perhaps so. Yet every day, AIDS activists come out with statements that make me feel sick. My queasiness doesn't make it into the headlines-- even in CWN stories. Real journalists don't put that sort of sensational language in headlines.

Unless they're on a jihad. As the Times sees it, the Pope committed the unforgivable sin: he questioned the power of Latex, the all-powerful, the all-merciful.