Coverage Rapped

To the Editor:

CNY’s coverage of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade left me wondering. On one page there’s a photograph of marchers carrying a banner for the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. On the next page, there’s a photograph of marchers carrying a banner for Out@NBC. The former are marching proudly on behalf of 200 years of Catholic faith in the archdiocese. The latter are marching proudly on behalf of—their self-assigned sexual identity. 

The controversy generated by the inclusion of an LGBT group in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade reflects the profound break between what the Church teaches on homosexuality and what the popular culture tries to teach all of us about homosexuality. As Catholics address this issue, is it more important that we seek to understand and be faithful to the teachings of the Church, even if we might disagree? Or is it more important that we Catholics be politically correct, inclusive and nice? 

CNY must have felt that it somehow made sense to include the one group that marched under questionable terms, Out@NBC, and portray their presence in the parade as equivalent to that of, say, parishioners at Old St. Patrick’s. CNY sent the message that for Catholics political correctness should trump obedience to the faith. 

CNY could have done greater service to its Catholic readers with a sidebar that revisited and explained the controversy. If a photo was even needed, it would have been more honest to include the Out@NBC photo in such a sidebar.

Amy De Rosa

Manhattan