Stop the presses

It must be a slow news day when a priest defending the Church makes a major city newspaper. A priest criticized local politicians and columnists who have been attacking the Church in his Sunday bulletin and the newspaper writes about it four days later.

“I have done my best to hold my tongue,” the Rev. Wayne L. Belschner wrote in last weekend’s bulletin at Sacred Heart parish. “However, I can no longer be silent in the face of attacks.” He hits Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who lashed out at archdiocesan leaders after the recent lockout of students and parents from Our Lady of the Presentation School in Brighton.

Belschner, 36, also singles out state Rep. Michael Moran (D-Brighton) and Boston City Councilor Jerry McDermott, who also had blasted church leaders for their handing of parish and school closings. “I guess that the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts is in such great shape that our elected officials have nothing other to do than criticize others,” Belschner wrote. Finally, he added: “If Margery Eagan from the Herald can shoot her mouth off each week against the church, then I feel that I can speak.”

Of course, when the archdiocesan spokesman’s only response to Mayor Menino’s self-serving outburst is that the archdiocese has a good working relationship with him, somebody’s got to defend the Church.