Spot on. I remember reading the book on Vince Lombardi, When Pride Still Mattered, by David Maraniss a few years back. In it Maraniss talked about how Lombardi broke away from his Catholic faith by showing compassion towards those who were homosexual.
My jaw hit the floor. It's this insipid misconception that just because the Catholic Church opposes gay marriage that it doesn't show compassion or mercy. If anything Lombardi's actions reaffirm his faith and teachings of the Catholic Church.
This interview with Pope Francis just confirms this philosophy.
Whoops... I guess Pope Benedict. But I know Pope Francis is of the same mind.
Why would you do such a thing? This shows you how rare is any kind of understanding of things Catholic in so-called American mainstream journalism. Note that Maraniss is not some third-rate hack but a highly credentialed author, biographer and editor. One has to conclude that in modern literary scene as accolades and sales pile up, the brain shrinks.