The “Arlington Five”—a Round-up

On the front page of yesterday’s Washington Post (and already online the night before) appeared a story about five—count ‘em, five—catechists in the Catholic diocese of Arlington, Virginia who will no longer be catechists in the next school year because they declined to make a “Profession of Faith” prescribed by Bishop Paul Loverde.  There are, according to the story itself, some 5,000 teachers in the diocese, counting parochial school teachers as well as volunteer Sunday school catechists.  Why this story of a few dissenters was even a story—or if a story, not one to be buried on page 5 of Metro rather than featured on page 1 of the A section (and highlighted on the paper’s website)—makes for an interesting story itself.

The Post ‘s “On Faith” page editors kindly gave me some space to comment on the story.  Also worth reading are:

• Matt Bowman at CatholicVote ;
• Austin Ruse at The Catholic Thing ;
• George Weigel at NRO ; and
• Mollie Hemingway and Terry Mattingly at GetReligion

Almost as interesting as the story itself, and the story about why it’s a story, are the comments on the story at the Post’ s website, both under the original article and (far fewer) under my commentary on the “On Faith” page.