Medved, Mel, Magisterium and Me

I was privileged to speak with Michael Medved on his nationally syndicated radio show today. The Mel Gibson controversy has been swirling lately, and Michael has devoted much air time to it. My disagreement with Michael was that he [and myriad others in the media] refer to Mel as "Catholic." In shorthand, "Catholic" means to most people to be "Roman Rite Catholic" or "Catholic in communion with Rome." Mel is not Catholic and I told Michael that. Gibson belongs to a sect that separated from Rome following Vatican II's introduction of Mass celebrated in the vernacular. They are radical traditionalists.

When Pope John Paul II issued apologies for centuries of church anti-semitism and when he visited a rabbi in a Rome synagogue, Mel's group denounced it. While Michael didn't disagree that Mel belongs to a break-away sect, he still maintained that people can self-identify as they wish. The call ended and I ripped off the following email to Michael [in its entirety]:

Michael:
If you knew a pork-eating, non-Sabbath observing man, would you allow him to self-identify as "orthodox Jew"? This stuff matters to me. I think you fluffed me off too lightly. When John Paul II apologized for a history of anti-semitism going back to the Inquisition, Mel's group repudiated it. HE AIN'T CATHOLIC. A duck can call itself a rhinocerous, but it's still a duck.

Ruth Anne

I don't expect a reply, but he was a good sport for putting me on the air.

This small issue matters to me because Catholics are often bashed and a lot of it is well-deserved. We'll take the medicine we have coming. But I repudiate Mel Gibson's anti-semitic and sexist remarks made during his DUI arrest and I don't want that to be perceived as the Catholic norm.

UPDATE: By way of disclosure, I've blogged about Mel Gibson before here and here. I am so disappointed in his latest behavior and pray for him and his wife and family.