Perth Sets New Record in Bad Taste

Over in the oft forgotten plains of WA is the usually sleepy Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. They live a genteel life and take pride in their newly renovated Cathedral. The world of Vatican politics and life on the East Coast is usually too far away to worry about.

However , the ground has shifted as the official paper of the Archdiocese of Perth, The Record has  published a scathing editorial on the recent "sacking" of Bishop Bill Morris of Towoomba. The editorial heading: "A Bishop That Had To Go" presents an official view of events that differs in tone and content from the statement of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

The damaging impact of the editorial for Archbishop Hickey is obvious on The Record webiste where it is placed much lower than the story on the  Australian Catholic Bishops response.  I suspect the proverbial "hell will freeze over"  before the Archbishop runs out for a photo opportunity with the editor.

A "warning bell" in the editorial was the reference to Christopher Pearson as a reliable source for information on the Bishop Morris issue. This is akin to hiring Richard Dawkins as a guide to the Vatican!!

A very good analysis of the editorial is available on the Catholica Discussion forum. A very bad discussion on the  editorial can be found on the hard-nosed benches CathPews Discussion Forum.