Bishop Henry and Conrad Black.

Bishop Frederick Henry sent us his letter (see page 5) with the words "I hope that you will publish my response in your next edition as Peter's article wasn't exactly FAB--an expression at the Herald-'fair, accurate and balanced.'"

I sent the letter on to Peter Stockland (author of "The bishop and the strike," Jan-Feb) for a brief comment in reply, as is customary, but he declined because he didn't think the bishop's letter was a response to his article.

Nor apparently did Bishop Henry: he sent the same "letter" as an independent article to Catholic weeklies across the country (Catholic Register April 3; Prairie Messenger March 29) well ahead, needless to say, of our own date of publication.

It was from the Toronto Archdiocesan Catholic Register (circulation 18,000) that the Globe and Mail gleefully learned of Bishop Henry's strictures on Mr. Conrad Black, using them to publish its own report spread across half a page entitled, "Bishop denounces Black for 'misuse' of Scripture," with the subtitle "Press magnate wrongly evoking Bible to back anti-union stand during strike, cleric charges" (April 3).

I say "gleefully," because the Globe and Mr. Black's National Post are in open combat for readership throughout the country. Not only are they commercial rivals but they are also ideologically at odds, the Globe, and most of the print and TV media across the country having dominated Canada, and especially Ontario, for 40 or more years with intellectual liberalism--anti-life, anti-religion--until Black bought the Southam papers, including the Calgary Herald, and above all when he started the National Post in October 1998. With the latter," social conservatives," that is, those opposing moral relativism and immoral activisms, were given a channel to air their views.

So Bishop Henry's "letter" was a marvellous opportunity for the Globe to blacken the reputation of Mr. Black, that is, a Catholic being rebuked by a Catholic bishop for supposedly ignoring the teaching of the Church on labour unions. The caption under a large photo of the Bishop read: "Conrad Black is 'wrapping himself in the garments of religiosity when he doesn't understand the social teachings of the Church,' Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary says."

The next day, April 4, the Globe ran a slightly shortened text of Bishop Henry's letter on page 17, just for good measure.

The National Post, naturally, wasn't taking it lying down. Post reporter Marina Jimenez reported Conrad Black as saying that it was "outrageous" to suggest he had been reluctant to deal with unions. She quoted from his reply, apparently already printed in the Herald, then related some of the same information contained in Mr. Stockland's column in the Jan/Feb edition of Catholic Insight, and in addition, also interviewed Catholic sources to comment on the Bishop's letter.

The first, Father Jack Gallagher, who teaches moral theology at St. Joseph's College, Edmonton, noted that the Church does not automatically adopt the side of labour in every contract dispute, nor is it necessary to do so to be a good Catholic, as Bishop Henry seemed to imply.

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Halifax stated that "The Church is quite clear that workers have the right to strike, but it is not an absolute right." And Father Brian Hogan, dean of the Theology Faculty at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, who teaches social doctrine, commented, "I don't think it is anti-Catholic to discuss whether or not a company needs a seniority clause."

As for the 'biblical' expressions described by the Bishop as improper, a teacher of Scripture in Toronto noted that "to say the expression swaddling clothes means Mr. Black was referring to Jesus is a bit much."

By this time Catholic Insight had sent the original article and the Bishop's "response" to Mr. Black, requesting a reply or comment. We never received it. Events had overtaken us. The Globe printed Mr. Black's reply as it appeared in the Calgary Herald under the sarcastic heading, "Mr. Black enlightens the Bishop" (April 5).

It was not what we had had in mind. Obviously written in a hurry, the reply was disrespectful of the Calgary Bishop. Catholic Insight had wanted something more issue-oriented, leaving personalities out of it, as indeed we had desired from Bishop Henry. As it was, another enemy of the National Post, the Toronto Star, mockingly headed its contribution to the debate now more of a slanging-match than anything else: "Then Black said to the bishop.... Your erroneous opinion may warrant exorcism" (April 6).

A more appropriate commentary came from Ted Byfield, founder of Report, entitled "Bishop preaching the wrong sermon" (N. Post, April 8). He noted that in supporting the strikers Bishop Henry was also supporting the old Herald, with its militantly pro-abortion, anti-Catholic and anti-Christian editorial position. It was precisely this group of liberal-left professionals, completely out of touch with the prevailing opinions in Calgary itself, he said, who had ensconced themselves in the editorial department, insisting that their "seniority" gave them immunity from change.

Another note that came to us before our cut-off date was that Bishop Henry was publicly musing about suing Mr. Black (Star, April 7). That seemed another overblown reaction. Suing someone for calling you "a jumped-up little twerp"? Twerp: Bounder, cad (Oxford Dict); cad: "person guilty or capable of ungentlemanly conduct."

Finally, the Catholic Register published Mr. Black's response in its April 10 edition without telling its readers that it was an expurgated version.

All of this seemed full of ironies.