Tough streets of the blogosphere

I've been reading and writing blogs since 2000. I've learned a couple of rules since then, one of which being, "When someone tells you to read an article for yourself, they don't really mean it." Well, M.C. Barsenas just invited everybody to check out this story at the Catholic News Service. If you do, it clears up a lot of things!

Barsenas selectively quotes from the article to show that the Vatican did not pressure Father Resse to resign:

Oh yeah? What do the Jesuits say on the matter, Fr. de Vera:

"He tendered his resignation. It was not imposed, contrary to what was written," Father de Vera told Catholic News Service May 9.

([Barsenas's] emphasis added)

Well, from that, you'd think Father Reese was just tired, and wanted more time to play backgammon and watch Desperate Housewives. However, I can selectively quote from the same article:

Jesuit officials in Rome said Father Thomas Reese resigned as editor in chief of America magazine after repeated complaints from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who objected to the magazine's treatment of sensitive church issues...

...Father de Vera denied reports that Father Reese was forced to resign, but he acknowledged that pressure had been coming from the Vatican for several years...

..."With Cardinal Ratzinger elected pope, I think (Father Reese) thought it would be very difficult to continue his line of openness, without creating more problems. He had been at America magazine seven years and he improved it tremendously, so I think he understood it was time to go," the Jesuit spokesman said...

...More than a year ago, Father de Vera said, the tension had reached the point that Vatican officials threatened to impose a board of censors on the magazine unless changes were made. [emphasis by Jeff]

Gee, I wonder why Andrew Sullivan thinks there's going to be less intellectual freedom under this Pope? It's completely inconceivable! ;)

UPDATE: Here's the Cliff Notes version of my point for those of you confused by sarcasm: The Vatican was seriously peeved that Father Reese dared to consider both sides of issues in his magazine. Most recently, they threatened to impose a board of censors on the magazine. Now that the person making these threats is the Pope, Father Reese felt even more pressure, and resigned. Whether you want to call this "fired" or "effectively forced to resign" is a matter of semantics. Either way, M.C. Barsenas is misinforming his readers by cutting out portions of Father de Vera's account, and spinning de Vera to say something completely different.