What often doesn't get much media attention is what the Holy Father has to say, but what received world-wide media attention last week were remarks that Pope Benedict XVI never made.
True Grit, the 1969 film starring John Wayne, was the first "grown-up" movie I saw as a kid. (warning: spoiler)
Most people remember their grandmothers at some point telling them that pointing a finger at someone means that three fingers are pointing back at you.
No, the pope did not change Catholic teaching on condoms.
It is difficult teaching moral truth in a day of instant communication and media manipulation.
From the screeching headlines and sour press reports, you would think Pope Benedict XVI's recent trip to Spain was a colossal flop.
Cultural differences are real, even within Islam, even across the Atlantic Ocean, and even on either side of the longest North American border. They are even discussed differently. But one way or another, they need to be discussed.
In an address delivered before the Religion Newswriters Association, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver commended America's journalists of religion and challenged them to approach their important work with integrity, fairness, and humility.
When it comes to the Catholic Church, so goes the popular logic, if something happens to make you angry, always blame the Pope (or the Vatican), or the archbishop (or that darn archdiocese).
Time magazine's snide attack on the Pope this week may serve a useful purpose.
