WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post
April 2, 2021
Every week, The Post runs a collection of letters of readers’ grievances — pointing out grammatical mistakes, missing coverage and inconsistencies. These letters tell us what we did wrong and, occasionally, offer praise. Here, we present this week’s Free for All letters.
Regarding the March 18 Style article “The father, the son and the holy Cuomo mess”:
Would The Post portray a Muslim politician of questionable morals as an imam? A Jewish politician of the same as a rabbi? I certainly hope not. But, if not, why is it acceptable to portray New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), a man accused of moral error who happens to be a Catholic, as a Catholic priest, surrounded by a halo, holding a Holy Bible and in a gesture of blessing? For what reason is the headline of the story — a play on the words with which Catholics proclaim their belief in the Holy Trinity — acceptable? And why does a banner above this priest’s head (“Loyalty Wins”) imply that loyalty to the Catholic religion eliminates the obligation to condemn moral wrongdoing? ADADVERTISING
At a time when tolerance for “the other” is rightly promoted every day in the pages of The Post, why is it okay to ridicule and offend Catholics in this way? As far as I can tell, the article in no way implied what the headline or the accompanying art does.
Kathryn S. Abell, Chevy Chase
I was quite simply shocked when I picked up the March 18 Style section and saw the headline and illustration that attempted to connect the scandal of New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) to the Sign of the Cross and the Catholic Church. Other than a single sentence that suggested that he was once motivated by his religious belief to improve the lives of the poor, there was no connection between the body of this full-page article and the headline and illustration, which represented a grossly overblown reaction to that single sentence.
Whoever thought that it was a great idea to substitute “Cuomo mess” for the name of the Holy Spirit in the sign of the cross should consider the warning in Matthew 12:31: “Every sin will be forgiven unto men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Charles Roswell, Columbia