Media Bias on Female Priests

Via the Christianity Today blog, an observation about how the Mainstream Media cover the issue of whether women should be ordained as priests in the Catholic Church.

Between their reflexive committment to feminism, and their secular ideology that distrusts religion, it would he heroic for the media to produce fair articles. And heroism is, as usual, in short supply.

Consider a recent article in the Los Angeles Times. Christianity Today correctly describes the article as follows:

Weblog is trying to think of appropriate analogues: A teenager, upset that his parents won’t let him take the car out with friends, decides to do it anyway; an employee, bothered that his boss won’t let him manage a project, decides to create a team and do it anyway, knowing he may be fired.

This story of a female “Catholic priest” who started her own church because the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t allow female priests sounds too whiny, too full of “it’s not fair” complaints. Perhaps that’s because the article only quotes people complaining about the Catholic church’s policy.

The L.A. Times profiles Jane Via’s first solo mass at the independent “Catholic” church she started. The service “marked her congregation’s first gathering since she met with San Diego Bishop Robert Brom to discuss the consequences of her ordination, which could ultimately include excommunication.”

The Times goes on to note that while other denominations allow female priests, the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t. “The Vatican’s position on women entering the priesthood has not budged, despite polls showing a majority of American Catholics favor allowing them to do so.”

The article quotes no one, including Bishop Brom, who opposes female ordination. It doesn’t explain the church’s theological basis for its opposition. The article, as well as others recently, simply champion women’s ordination. Again, since there seems to be no chance of Via’s protest having any effect on the church, why is this news?