HEN PUBLICATIONS are failing, they will literally say anything to get attention. I certainly never heard of “Religion News Service” until a particularly deranged article by Father Thomas Reese (a dissident Catholic priest) was brought to my attention. I doubt our readers have heard of it either; the readership appears to be abysmal. I clicked on one of their articles—directly from their website header—and saw that only six people reacted! Truly pathetic. His article is filled with inaccurate statements, but I won’t waste time correcting his errors. I just want to point out one section. Father Thomas Reese wrote the following (and here’s proof):
“The church needs to be clear that it wants the unreformed liturgy to disappear and will only allow it out of pastoral kindness to older people who do not understand the need for change. Children and young people should not be allowed to attend such Masses.”
How old, exactly, are young people? Sixteen? Twenty-seven? Thirty-four? Father Thomas Reese doesn’t say. Regardless, readers have rejected his article:
Go add your voice to his article.
I believe Father Thomas Reese is desperate for “views” and “clicks,” so he made an attempt to draw attention to himself. He certainly succeeded…but perhaps not in the way he had hoped.
By the way, what is this obsession Father Thomas Reese has with the Second Vatican Council? Does he not realize the Council took place sixty years ago? Why does he focus on Vatican II, while neglecting all the other councils?
Father Thomas Reese, a dissident priest, has said many disturbing things, including stating that there are “more important” things that happen during Holy Mass than Transubstantiation. For myself, I would not receive Holy Communion from a person like Father Thomas Reese.
