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Hannity and Pace:
Prominent Catholics in the Marketplace
by Mary Ann Kreitzer
Two prominent lay Catholics recently made headlines for their statements on sexual morality: Fox celebrity and radio talk show host Sean Hannity and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps General Peter Pace. One is a cafeteria Catholic who publicly dissents from Church teaching, the other a recipient of the prestigious John Carroll Award for service and commitment to the Catholic faith.
Hannity, who endorses contraception as well as exceptions for abortion, tangled with Fr. Thomas Euteneurer of Human Life International on March 9th after the priest wrote a column criticizing Hannity’s radio “apology” for accidentally eating two bites of a chicken salad sandwich on a Lenten Friday. “That's not a sin,” Father wrote. “If apologies are the order of the day, then the repentance I would like to hear out of Sean Hannity's mouth is for his shameless—even scandalous—promotion of birth control.” Father’s column earned him an invitation to the Hannity and Colmes television program where Hannity engaged in a tirade of logical fallacies and non sequiturs including a below-the-belt attack for the sex abuse scandals. Fr. Euteneuer who remained calm throughout attempted to articulate Church teaching when he could get a word in edgewise. Hannity was clearly shocked at the end of the interview when he asked Father, “Wait. Would you deny me Communion?” and Father calmly responded, “I would.”
In the ensuing days, the battle continued with an open letter from Fox commentator Fr. Jonathan Morris admonishing his brother priest, an open letter response from Fr. Euteneuer at hli.org, and writers and bloggers entering the fray on one side or the other. Fr. Euteneuer wrote two more columns on Hannity the Liberal and The Church will not be Hannitized defending Church teaching and pointing out the “fantasy” of those who “see no incompatibility between contraception and Communion.” Front and center in the controversy is the scandal of Catholics who publicly agitate against Church teachings while insisting they can continue to approach the altar for Communion. Liberal Catholics, Fr. Euteneuer points out, are on both sides of the political aisle.
The flap over General Peter Pace’s comments illustrates much the same thing. In a March 12 interview with the Chicago Tribune, General Pace responded to questions about the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuality including his personal opinion that there are “certain types of conduct that are immoral…that we should not tolerate.” He specifically mentioned adultery which probably would have passed unnoticed. But his next statement sparked a tsunami of outrage from the homosexual community and their fellow travelers. “I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.” Not only Democrats who often “loathe” the military, but politically correct Republicans like John Warner of Virginia piled on to defend the morality of sodomy and condemn the general’s statement. The next day General Pace issued a short release saying, “I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views.” He did not apologize.
Although the situations are different: Hannity is paid big buck to pontificate on his opinions while the General must carry out the policies of the United States regardless of his opinions, there is a common thread between them. Hannity and Pace are both Catholic laymen confirmed as soldiers of Christ and called to uphold the teachings of the Church in their personal and public lives. That doesn’t mean they need to preach the gospel, but their actions must be consistent with the faith they profess. And there’s where the divide comes.
The General stood up for sexual morality. Adultery and sodomy are immoral. Can anyone who examines homosexual practices defend them with a straight face? Certainly in the military open homosexuals are a threat to morale and to the unity needed for a cohesive armed force. It is refreshing to see a man refuse the vultures’ demand for a public bloodletting apology. Hannity, on the other hand, is a politically correct neoconservative who considers his personal opinion higher than the doctrines of Holy Mother Church. And if anyone dares to challenge those opinions look out!
When challenged by Fr. Euteneuer Hannity made a big deal out of being a former altar boy and “seminarian” who studied latin. Actually, his “seminary” training consisted of attending a boys’ Catholic High School called St. Pius the X Preparatory Seminary in Uniondale, NY. Most of its graduates, like Hannity, were not headed for the priesthood. But stretching the truth is a Hannity staple and one more indication of pride. General Pace, on the other hand, is an unassuming man who doesn’t flaunt his heroism in battle. A veteran of Viet Nam, Pace commanded a rifle platoon whose two previous commanders were killed in the two weeks before he took over. He had several close calls with death, one when a sniper killed another soldier who stepped in front of him and took the bullet that would have killed him. “I told the good Lord, ‘I guess I have to do something you want me to do.’”
Every person, whatever his state in life, has something the Lord wants him to do. One of the most important for a Catholic is to uphold and defend moral truth. If a Catholic disagrees with a doctrine of the Church he has an obligation to study it, try to understand what the Church is teaching and why, and bring his conscience into conformity with the Church. If he cannot do so, he has an obligation to be silent rather than risk giving scandal. This is a particular duty of those in public life.
Unfortunately, many public Catholics voice their dissent loud and clear while professing to be faithful sons and daughters of the Church. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisius Bertone recently pointed out that such dissenters are more dangerous than atheists. “The church doesn't really worry about atheists, however devout,” he said, “because they're out of her spiritual jurisdiction, so to speak. Much more worrisome are those inside the church who work to distort its faith and moral principles.” The cardinal could have been talking about Sean Hannity. As a Catholic in public life he could take a lesson in faith from General Pace.
Two prominent lay Catholics recently made headlines for their statements on sexual morality: Fox celebrity and radio talk show host Sean Hannity and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps General Peter Pace. One is a cafeteria Catholic who publicly dissents from Church teaching, the other a recipient of the prestigious John Carroll Award for service and commitment to the Catholic faith.
Hannity, who endorses contraception as well as exceptions for abortion, tangled with Fr. Thomas Euteneurer of Human Life International on March 9th after the priest wrote a column criticizing Hannity’s radio “apology” for accidentally eating two bites of a chicken salad sandwich on a Lenten Friday. “That's not a sin,” Father wrote. “If apologies are the order of the day, then the repentance I would like to hear out of Sean Hannity's mouth is for his shameless—even scandalous—promotion of birth control.” Father’s column earned him an invitation to the Hannity and Colmes television program where Hannity engaged in a tirade of logical fallacies and non sequiturs including a below-the-belt attack for the sex abuse scandals. Fr. Euteneuer who remained calm throughout attempted to articulate Church teaching when he could get a word in edgewise. Hannity was clearly shocked at the end of the interview when he asked Father, “Wait. Would you deny me Communion?” and Father calmly responded, “I would.”
In the ensuing days, the battle continued with an open letter from Fox commentator Fr. Jonathan Morris admonishing his brother priest, an open letter response from Fr. Euteneuer at hli.org, and writers and bloggers entering the fray on one side or the other. Fr. Euteneuer wrote two more columns on Hannity the Liberal and The Church will not be Hannitized defending Church teaching and pointing out the “fantasy” of those who “see no incompatibility between contraception and Communion.” Front and center in the controversy is the scandal of Catholics who publicly agitate against Church teachings while insisting they can continue to approach the altar for Communion. Liberal Catholics, Fr. Euteneuer points out, are on both sides of the political aisle.
The flap over General Peter Pace’s comments illustrates much the same thing. In a March 12 interview with the Chicago Tribune, General Pace responded to questions about the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuality including his personal opinion that there are “certain types of conduct that are immoral…that we should not tolerate.” He specifically mentioned adultery which probably would have passed unnoticed. But his next statement sparked a tsunami of outrage from the homosexual community and their fellow travelers. “I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.” Not only Democrats who often “loathe” the military, but politically correct Republicans like John Warner of Virginia piled on to defend the morality of sodomy and condemn the general’s statement. The next day General Pace issued a short release saying, “I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views.” He did not apologize.
Although the situations are different: Hannity is paid big buck to pontificate on his opinions while the General must carry out the policies of the United States regardless of his opinions, there is a common thread between them. Hannity and Pace are both Catholic laymen confirmed as soldiers of Christ and called to uphold the teachings of the Church in their personal and public lives. That doesn’t mean they need to preach the gospel, but their actions must be consistent with the faith they profess. And there’s where the divide comes.
The General stood up for sexual morality. Adultery and sodomy are immoral. Can anyone who examines homosexual practices defend them with a straight face? Certainly in the military open homosexuals are a threat to morale and to the unity needed for a cohesive armed force. It is refreshing to see a man refuse the vultures’ demand for a public bloodletting apology. Hannity, on the other hand, is a politically correct neoconservative who considers his personal opinion higher than the doctrines of Holy Mother Church. And if anyone dares to challenge those opinions look out!
When challenged by Fr. Euteneuer Hannity made a big deal out of being a former altar boy and “seminarian” who studied latin. Actually, his “seminary” training consisted of attending a boys’ Catholic High School called St. Pius the X Preparatory Seminary in Uniondale, NY. Most of its graduates, like Hannity, were not headed for the priesthood. But stretching the truth is a Hannity staple and one more indication of pride. General Pace, on the other hand, is an unassuming man who doesn’t flaunt his heroism in battle. A veteran of Viet Nam, Pace commanded a rifle platoon whose two previous commanders were killed in the two weeks before he took over. He had several close calls with death, one when a sniper killed another soldier who stepped in front of him and took the bullet that would have killed him. “I told the good Lord, ‘I guess I have to do something you want me to do.’”
Every person, whatever his state in life, has something the Lord wants him to do. One of the most important for a Catholic is to uphold and defend moral truth. If a Catholic disagrees with a doctrine of the Church he has an obligation to study it, try to understand what the Church is teaching and why, and bring his conscience into conformity with the Church. If he cannot do so, he has an obligation to be silent rather than risk giving scandal. This is a particular duty of those in public life.
Unfortunately, many public Catholics voice their dissent loud and clear while professing to be faithful sons and daughters of the Church. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisius Bertone recently pointed out that such dissenters are more dangerous than atheists. “The church doesn't really worry about atheists, however devout,” he said, “because they're out of her spiritual jurisdiction, so to speak. Much more worrisome are those inside the church who work to distort its faith and moral principles.” The cardinal could have been talking about Sean Hannity. As a Catholic in public life he could take a lesson in faith from General Pace.