The old-style "Latin Mass" (the "Tridentine Rite") of the Catholic Church was never banned, but it required the permission of a local bishop to be performed. But in a recent announcement, Pope Benedict XVI has "opened the door to wider use" of the Latin Mass by not requiring local authorization. The effect on Catholics around the world, if any, will be minimal, as the vast majority of masses will continue to be celebrated in people's own languages.

Big whoop, eh? This is the kind of news that maybe justifies a tiny "In Brief" appearance in your paper. But the Los Angeles Times never leaves a stone unturned in trying to portray Catholics and Catholic-related news in the most unflattering light. (I posted this only a few days ago.)

"Pope elevates Latin Mass, leaving some polarized" (by Times staffers Tracy Wilkinson and Rebecca Trounson) occupies a prominent place at the top of the high-profile page A3 of today's Times (Sun. 7/8/07). Wilkinson and Trounson write that Benedict's announcement "risks alienating some faithful." Who do Wilkinson and Trounson identify as these "alienated faithful"? Well, they cite the director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a rabbi at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and some dopey, relativistic, let's-ordain-women "liberal lay group" called "We Are Church." In other words, they don't actually identify any faithful Catholics who claim to be "alienated." (Note to Wilkinson and Trounson: All of these people felt "polarized" and "alienated" long before Benedict's announcement. Your claim is completely bogus.)

Wilkinson and Trounson also help to propagate the growing, modern-day anti-Catholic falsehood that Christianity (or in this case, Catholicism) is somehow anti-Semitic in its nature. This would not be the first time that the Times has embraced this bigotry, as we've posted here, here, here, and here. (Helpful sources debunking this canard can be found at the linked articles.)