That is hardly a public split. I can say now with absolutely no embarrassment or hesitation that my father says and believes many things that I do not necessarily believe. I have not just publicly split with my father, I have declined to endorse his views as my own.
The relationship between parents and children in traditionalist culture is much different from that relationship among most modern-minded Americans. Traditional Catholicism is a traditionalist culture. It is Mel’s business if he wishes to avoid a public split with his father.