Newspaper reporters and editors practice prejudice when it's quicker than reporting the truth. Not all of them. But specifically, the ones who call people "devout Catholics" that you would not want to tell your mother about. Using shorthand without reporting, these newspapers call them "devout Catholics." See, e.g., "'CALL THEM BY THEIR TRUE NAMES.' Rebecca Solnit," an article blogged here on September 8, 2019; "NYT, AGAIN: 'CALL THEM BY THEIR TRUE NAMES.' Rebecca Solnit," December 11, 2019.
This past week the Orlando Sentinel did it again, using the "devout Catholic" shorthand to describe a person who behaved badly. I would link to their article here too, but the Orlando Sentinel is behind a paywall and they may charge you for that 'privilege.'
To these newspapers I say: Knock it off. The truth is that "devout Catholics" get that label just because they give more money to the Church than other people do. They are louder about it too.
It is in no way the behavior of any "devout Catholic" to separate children from their parents, to inflict cruelty because you can, or to say rotten things about people because you can get away with it. These behaviors may be "devout" all right, but these behaviors are in so way Catholic and they are not the results of good will, period. Instead, you will find devout people helping out in places like this food pantry:
(Desiree Rios / New York Times)
In the words of Rebecca Solnit, "Call them by their true names."
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