The Legionnnaire Judges the Pro-Life Priest, UPDATED

There's a lot of chutzpah out there these days.

Amy reprints a short note from Fr. Johnathon Morris, a Legionary who (to put it mildly) disapproves of Fr. Euteneur's disapproval of Hannity's Brand of Catholicism:

As I watched a fellow Catholic priest spar with you on the March 9 edition of Hannity and Colmes, I hung my head in shame and sadness. My colleague in religion (whom I've never met) used the public airways and Internet to call you a heretic and hypocrite. Because he chose to do this in a public forum, I want you and your viewers to know, publicly, that as an analyst of this television network, I believe this good priest, who does great work, exercised, on this occasion, shockingly poor judgment. I consider his willingness to give his personal opinion about your status within the Church inappropriate and ill-considered, to say the least.

Amy relates that Fr. E's 'poor judgment' was to accept an invitation to the H&C shoutfest. But once he's there, he's in a bad box. Says Amy:

Another possibility, that I hear no one mention: that upon hearing about Fr. Euteneuer's original column, if Hannity was so concerned and really invested in being a faithful Catholic, he could have contact Father and asked, "I'm wondering about that column you wrote...could you enlighten me further? Because you're a priest, and I'm a Catholic in the punditocracy, and gosh, I want to make sure I get Catholic teaching right before I spout off about it to millions. That's a responsibility I take seriously."

But no, he invited him on his show, yelled at him, and allowed him very little time to speak without interruption.

But of course, taking religious instruction from Hannity (or several other self-identified Catholics-in-punditry) is not a reliable path to salvation.

Buy Bp. Sheen video copies instead, if you MUST have it in TV format.

UPDATE: There's a response-letter from Fr. Euteneur.

Your letter to Sean Hannity indicates that you did not know that I asked to speak to him in private about this matter in 2004 otherwise you may have tempered your remarks about my supposed lack of charity in dealing with a high profile Catholic who dissents from clearly-defined and reiterated Church teachings.

...The question that comes to mind is an obvious one: if you are a Fox analyst on Catholic matters, wouldn’t you have been the one to have had those “private conversations” on birth control with Mr. Hannity? How about discussions on his abortion exceptions? When you told Sean “in person” that you “disagreed with him,” was it on the issue of birth control? If you had done that, I applaud you, but your powers of persuasion may need a little honing—Sean has only gotten more vocal on this issue over time. If you did not speak to him about his public dissent, then I ask you, “Why?”

...I would sincerely hope that you are not teaching by word or example the young men in your charge to be politically correct sissies who are afraid to roll up their sleeves and defend the Church in private and in public. We have tons of those types in the clergy already. I would advise you to drink deeply of the wisdom of the Number Two man at our Headquarters who has in no uncertain terms told all of us that high profile dissenters are a scourge and a danger to souls. [See item: “Bertone: Dissident Catholics More Worrying Than Atheists.”

We'll expect a letter of apology from the LC shortly.

Right....