Update: The link to the original article (below) also lets people make comments online. I read through the comments and was saddened, encouraged, and sometimes outraged. Decided I couldn't respond and cover all points in any comment I could make. So I sent an email to the reporter who wrote the story and may write a letter to the editor, we'll see.
A few week ago, I noted that the Lancaster newspaper carried a front page story/picture on Ash Wednesday, featuring St. Catherine's Catholic Church (see here ). Today, the Charlotte Observer carries a front page story on the Bishop of Charlotte's instruction that the feet washed at the Holy Thursday Mass be those of men only (hooray!).
Along with the death of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI, I am willing to bet that the southern newspapers have a new openness to publishing prominent stories about the Church. (Even if those stories sometimes get it wrong.)
Actually, the newspapers probably percieve (correctly) that the Catholic population in the South is growing and their Catholic readership is growing.
Re: the issue in todays paper about footwashing, the story starts with the instruction, quotes a pastor who will obey, "with apologies to the women" of his parish, quotes a lady who is "fired-up" against the bishop on the issue, and then followed by the statement and comments by Bishop Jugis' spokesman (3 paragraphs-including this is the Vatican's decision). The story goes on to quote a spokesman from the USCCB who basically says every bishop does his own thing. This is followed by examples of bishops who allow women's feet to be washed. The story ends with a quote from Teresa Burger at Duke Divinty who questions the restriction to men-only.
We see the pattern here. I wonder how much of an effort was undertaken to find either supporters of Bishop Jurgis or other dioceses which follow the Vatican. (What does this say about our bishops when few can be found to obey-Oh yes, but we knew that....)
By the way, the story is online here.
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