Voce Italiana, Holy Rosary Church and the Quest for Democracy!

Let me wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. As one who has traveled to a number of countries over the course of my lifetime, the United States is blessed with so many things you cannot even begin to count them.

Take a moment to thank God for what He has given to us.

+++++++++++

A few weeks ago, I posted a story on Voce Italiana, a publication of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in DC, which had highlighted Sen. Nancy Pelosi.

He heard nothing from them until last week, when he began to receive phone calls about the letter. It seems that the letter was published. Finally, someone sent him a copy of VOCE. He read the letter, their response and noticed that a couple of key items had been edited out. It was done in such a way as to make the author someone who does not respect the free flow of information, instead of the core issue: that a Catholic publication was lauding a pro-abortion, pro-gay politician.

So, for your reading pleasure, here is the original letter to the editor (highlighting the sections cut out) and their response.

Letter to the Editor of Voce:

Recently, we received the most recent copy of VOCE ITALIANA. When I opened it up to the front cover, we were shocked to see who was being featured on the front page: Senator Nancy Pelosi.

If this article was produced in a publication some secular Italian or Italian-American group, we would not be shocked. Even though the paper advertises that it is “An Italian American Gazette of the Greater Washington DC Area” is it published by Holy Rosary Church – a Roman Catholic Church.

As Catholics, we are appalled that VOCE would highlight a pro-abortion, pro-gay politician. In addition, her recent foray into Catholic theology shows that her Catholicism is something that she is totally ignorant of. She wears it on her sleeve. She is no friend of faithful Roman Catholics.

Our relationship to Holy Rosary goes back many years, which hurts us even more deeply, when we see this “infamia.”

Both of us met in Casa after the 9am Mass one Sunday in August of 1991. We were married at Holy Rosary. Our children were baptized there. We would be parishioners of Holy Rosary, if it were not for the fact that it does not have a Catholic elementary school.

XXX and her parents (XXX) faithfully attended the 9am Mass for many years. XXX and her mom worked for many years at the Italian Festival at Villa Rosa, as well as, a number of various events at Holy Rosary.

XXXX grew up attending school and Mass at St. Joseph’s on Monroe St. in NYC – a Scalabrinian staffed Church. Shortly after he moved to DC, he became a parishioner at Holy Rosary – because of the Scalabrinians. He remembers serving Mass for Fr. Lydio Tomasi and his brother Archbishop Sylvio Tomasi, during their visits to St. Joseph.

It is our hopes that in the future, if VOCE continues to be published by Holy Rosary Church (a Roman Catholic Church), that it will ensure that politicians who do not support us on one of the most fundamental issues of our times are not lauded.

Therefore, it is with the deepest sadness that we must cancel our subscription to VOCE ITALIANA.


The response from Voce (with my comments):

We welcome letters to the editor and thank you for expressing your opinion regarding articles about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. However we respectfully disagree with your assessment of the article.

We believe that Speaker Pelosi, as one of the top leaders, and as an Italian American, is a legitimate subject for our paper. Refraining from reporting news about her, or from interviewing her regarding her recent book, on the basis of her ideology and political positions may differ from those held by some of our readers, does our larger audience an injustice. (As well and removing the fact that you are published by Holy Rosary Church.)

Voce strives for an objective discourse on all subjects of interest our audience – the Italian-American community in the Washington DC area. We seek to report news in an unbiased manner (and yet, there was no mention of her support for abortion or her foray into Catholic theology, nor hide the fact that you are published by a Roman Catholic parish). After all, the Italian-American community itself is not a monolith. It is a highly diverse group, comprised of Republicans and Democrats a like, as well as members of all religious faiths, including Protestants, Muslims and Jews.

We live in a democracy and a democracy works best when people are well informed. (Then why did you not include the letter as was, and not hide the fact that is it published by a Roman Catholic parish.)

What I also find amazing is that there is no mention of the linkage between Holy Rosary Church and Voce. I mean, the phone number and the address given for inquires are exactly the same. Who are they kidding! What a cop-out.