{"id":5890,"date":"2014-03-27T19:55:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-27T19:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/british-paper-suspends-writer-who-looked-forward-to-benedicts-death\/"},"modified":"2014-03-27T19:55:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-27T19:55:00","slug":"british-paper-suspends-writer-who-looked-forward-to-benedicts-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2014\/03\/british-paper-suspends-writer-who-looked-forward-to-benedicts-death\/","title":{"rendered":"British paper suspends writer who looked forward to Benedict’s death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

London, England, Mar 27, 2014 \/ 01:55 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The Tablet, a British Catholic weekly, has suspended its Rome correspondent Robert Mickens after he publicly referred to Benedict XVI as \u201cthe Rat\u201d and anticipated his death.<\/p>\n

\tIn a March 2 Facebook post about Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla, who was Pope John XXIII's secretary and was elevated to the red Feb. 22, Mickens wrote: \u201cThis should have happened a LONG time ago. Do you think he'll make it to the Rat's funeral?\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe comment about Joseph Ratzinger was noticed by Damian Thompson, a writer at The Telegraph, who wrote about it March 24.<\/p>\n

\tTwo days later, The Tablet announced Mickens\u2019 suspension \u201cfollowing remarks made by him on the Facebook website about the Pope Emeritus. An inquiry is now being carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tRobert Mickens is suspended as The Tablet\u2019s Rome correspondent following a comment on Facebook. An enquiry is underway<\/p>\n

\t\u2014 The Tablet (@The_Tablet) March 25, 2014<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Tablet's editor, staff, directors and trustees all disassociate ourselves from these remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Tablet describes itself as having \u201ca special emphasis on Roman Catholicism while remaining ecumenical,\" and points out specifically that \u201cit is committed to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIts editor, Catherine Pepinster, has written that the journal is a place of \u201cprogressive, but responsible Catholic thinking, a place where orthodoxy is at home but ideas are welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn the past, Thompson has described The Tablet as \"a magazine read by Left-wing Catholics whose 'Masses' involve circle-dancing around a justice \u2019n\u2019 peace co-coordinator in a\u00a0 poncho. The Tabletistas can\u2019t bear the reforms of Pope Benedict XVI.\"<\/p>\n

\tIn the March 2 Facebook exchange, a Chris Grady replied to Mickens\u2019 comment, adding that \u201cI\u2019m hoping he\u2019ll be well enough to concelebrate the canonisation Mass for Saint John XXIII plus one other on 27 April.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Rat\u2019s funeral the next day would be a bonus,\u201d Grady continued, demonstrating contempt for both Benedict XVI and Bl. John Paul II.<\/p>\n

\tFollowing Mickens\u2019 suspension, Thompson wrote: \u201cThe truth is that Robert Mickens has never been able to hide his contempt for Benedict XVI.\"<\/p>\n

\t\"He should have been replaced by a more dispassionate correspondent years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London, England, Mar 27, 2014 \/ 01:55 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Tablet, a British Catholic weekly, has suspended its Rome correspondent Robert Mickens after he publicly referred to Benedict XVI as “the Rat” and anticipated his death.<\/p>\n

\tIn a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe"],"yoast_head":"\nBritish paper suspends writer who looked forward to Benedict's death<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"London, England, Mar 27, 2014 \/ 01:55 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Tablet, a British Catholic weekly, has suspended its Rome correspondent Robert Mickens after he publicly referred to Benedict XVI as “the Rat” and anticipated his death. 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