Vatican should crack down on liturgical abuses, not petty trademark cases
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | May 03, 2016
Dunno about you, but I can't get too worked up about the merchants who sell trinkets bearing an image of Pope Francis without authorization from the Vatican. Sure, it's a trademark infringement. Sure, the Vatican loses money (did I touch on a sore spot there?) when the merchants don't pay the licensing fee. But in the grand scheme of things, life doesn't change very much when a kiosk outside St. Peter's Square sells bogus Vatican flags.
Life does change, however, when the faithful don't have access to the sacraments (What are the times for Confessions in your parish? From 3:05 to 3:07 on alternate Saturdays?), or when pleas of the laity for reverent liturgy are ignored.
Given my preferences, I'd like the Vatican to crack down on liturgical abuses, and let the vendors in Rome make a few more tainted dollars. It's the Year of Mercy, remember?
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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