It's always open season on the Catholic Church

The front page of the local paper featured a blaring "expose" on a local catholic parish and its very popular and charismatic pastor. Apparently the finances of this church are now of public concern. Why, we have no idea? The article talks about the fact that this priest goes to the casino on his own time. So what? I kept reading to find out if he had done this by defrauding the parish. And if he had, it's no business of anyone but the parishioners and the temporal committee in charge of the money. I kept reading to find out if the local paper had donated thousands to this parish and that was why it was outraged. I kept reading to find out if the pastor had raided the building fund. I kept reading find out exactly why the finances of this particular parish were anyone's business except the parishioners. But down to the last line of the long article, there was no valid reason for "outing" this priest on his recreational interests.

So, I wrote a letter to the editor and copied the archbishop and our own pastor. It follows here, in case they don't publish it. Probably won't. A little too much truth in it:

"To the editor, The Ottawa Citizen,

Why the finances of one church are the subject of a public newspaper investigation is anyone's guess? It's not as if the citizens of Ottawa are forced to fund this particular parish through their taxes. No. Parishioners give whatever they wish when the basket is passed. Could be nothing, could be thousands. It's really a private matter. And who's to say a grateful benefactor has not given a few hundred thousand to one priest or another for a special and meaningful reason? Maybe that's how priests and other church leaders fund their personal lives? Maybe not? The point is the finances of churches, synagogues, mosques or any other places of worship are the business of the parishioners, scrutinized by the temporal council and the tax department. They are not a matter of civic concern to Ottawa taxpayers.

Is The Citizen conducting a financial review of all local religious institutions? Has The Citizen donated thousands to this particular parish? Is that why it feels authorized to accuse this particular priest of....whatever? Once again, it's open season on the Catholic Church. And all this as Holy Week gets underway."

I am so sick of catholic bashing. Lets pick on another religion for a change.