Maureen Dowd comes from a similar Catholic background as myself.
She has done an excellent job covering the mess in the Catholic Church and of course has been criticized for her attacks by people like Patrick J. Buchanan and Bill Donahue, Catholics themselves.
Anti-Catholicism and the Times Posted on April 5th, 2010 by Patrick J. Buchanan
“Anti-Catholicism,” said writer Peter Viereck, “is the anti-Semitism of the intellectual.” It is “the deepest-held bias in the history of the American people,” said Arthur Schlesinger Sr.
As the Catholic League’s Bill Donahue relates, 80 percent of the victims of priestly abuse have been males and “most of the molesters gays.”
I wouldn't classify either Mo or myself as "Anti-Catholic."
I will say Rome doesn't get it. Not on the child abuse issue or women as priests. If Mary Magdalene was alive today the Pope would be throwing the first stone in St Peter's Square.
Should There Be an Inquisition for the Pope? By MAUREEN DOWD The Catholic Church, which gave up its credibility for Lent, can’t hide behind smoke and mystique as it faces a cascade of child sexual abuse cases. March 31, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/opinion/31dowd.html?ref=maureendowd
Eraser Duty for Bart? By MAUREEN DOWD Nuns’ support for the health care bill has been dismissed, largely because the bishops and the pope would rather deprive people of good care than look soft on abortion. March 21, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21dowd.html?ref=maureendowd
Make no mistake about it there are a lot of Catholics that are more than a little irritated by the latest pontificating coming out of Rome.
As I explained to the woman who runs our church's Faith Formation program at our church and defends the Pope. Popes come and go. There have been some good ones and there have been some bad ones. Benedict is one of the bad ones.
She is a convert and new to the religion. I explained to her while she looked at me in shock, brush up on your history of the church then we'll talk.