by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
October 6, 2004
In a recent column on same sex marriage, Kathleen Harris wrote in the Toronto Sun, "Prime Minister Paul Martin, a devout Catholic who personally wrestles with the issue [same sex marriage], has also vowed to allow Grit MPs to vote with their consciences when the issue reaches the House.
Harris is not the first journalist, nor will she be the last to describe Paul Martin as a "devout Catholic". The prime minister portrays himself as deeply religious but Martin’s self description does not make it so. Many journalists dutifully describe Martin as he describes himself without giving the matter a second thought.
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word "devout" as, "earnestly religious; earnest, sincere. Paul Martin’s stance on issues such as same sex marriage is at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church. This hardly makes him a poor leader but it hardly makes him a devout Catholic.
The PM has been criticized by church leaders such as Calgary Bishop F. B. Henry who wrote that Martin’s position on issues such as same sex marriage and abortion is a source of scandal within the Catholic community and that the Prime Minister was morally incoherent.
Martin’s position, as he explains it, is that he follows the teachings of the church unless those teachings are overruled by a majority of the Supreme Court of Canada. This, by the standards of the church, could hardly be called devout.
Martin could have done what his predecessor did and never mention his religion. But he chose not to; and the media dutiful report that Martin is a devout Catholic because he says that he is.
When reporting on matters of abortion and same sex marriage, many in the media do get it right. They use correct phrases such as "Paul Martin, who describes himself as a devout Catholic" to indicate what Martin says that he is. But too many times the media merely describe Martin, not as he is but as he says he is.
Some of the reporting of Paul Martin as a devout Catholic is due to plain laziness--the lack of any questioning of the apparent clash between Martin’s political and religious beliefs. after all, it is easier and quicker just to attach the label that Martin wants attached. But there is also no doubt that much of the description of Martin as devout is due to bias. after all, to the liberal media that favours same sex marriage, he’s their boy and it helps to make the argument that same sex marriage is right because even devout Catholics are in favour of it.