Church Gives Chin Flick

I sorta feel like I did with the Cheney shooting, see It Ain't Over Till the Quail Speaks. That is, it's hard to let go of the Scalia "kiss off."

Scalia's "Chin Flick" has been the subject of much media attention, see my posts at Because It Won't and Res Ipsa Loquitur. This incident is the gift that keeps on giving. And the episode hasn't even made the rounds with the late night comedians yet.

The latest installment involves the Archdiocese of Boston.

The Church of Boston is at it again. This is the same Church that has been dealing with the clergy sexual abuse scandal (see, e.g. Boston Globe - Abuse in the Catholic Church). This is the same Church that recently opted to stop it's adoption program though Catholic Charities, Jesus Weeps, rather than permit gays to be included in the adoption pool.

Now, as reported in the Boston Herald, in Church fires photog over Scalia picture: Freelancer pays for 'right thing', the photographer who captured Scalia's infamous gesture "has been fired by the Archdiocese of Boston's newspaper for releasing a picture of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia making a controversial gesture in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Sunday."

Technically, he wasn't "fired" because he was a freelancer, but you get the idea. The photographer had been engaged by a Church paper, The Pilot, who would not run the photo. As the Herald notes:

Smith wouldn't give up the photo earlier this week but chose to release it when he learned Scalia said his gesture had been incorrectly characterized by the Herald. Smith, who was standing in front of the judge, said the Herald "got the story right."

Smith said the Pilot had an obligation at that point "to bring some clarity to it."

"I felt that same obligation," Smith said. "I had to say what I knew and come forward with it.."

Responding to the decision to "terminate" the services of the long time photographer, the Church responded with:

"It's nothing personal," added Pilot editor Antonio Enrique. "I need to try and find people I can trust."

Trust to obfuscate. Trust to ignore, then cover up the child abuse scandal. Trust to be anything but ethical and truthful. The teachings of the new Catholic Church.

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But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. -- 1 Cor 1:27 (In honor of April Fool's Day)

Tags: Scalia