Passion Playas

While TBogg and World O' Crap quite properly have some fun at Peggy Noonan's expense, I, unable to come with anything remotely as hilarious, will address a slightly more serious point.

Hearing various Vatican fuctionaries deny that the Pope endorsed MadMel's Cruciflix, The Passion, Noonan says, "it is painful to be accused however implicitly of being the accessory to a lie." We feel your pain, Peg. But don't be so modest.

On December 17, 2003, you wrote:

(I asked the pope's veteran press spokesman, Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valles [sic], if he knew if the pope had said anything beyond "It is as it was." He e-mailed back that he did not know of any further comments.)

Today, you report the e-mail exchange as follows:

So I e-mailed Dr Navarro Valls at the Vatican telling him I wanted to write a piece for OpinionJournal and asking him about the quote. I didn't hear back and sent another: "Dr. Navarro Valles [sic], my deadline is in two hours and I do hope you'll let me know if there is anything on the Pope's reaction beyond 'It is as it was'--wonderful words, and I know you have already been in touch with Steve about them, but I would greatly appreciate it if there's anything you could add regarding general Vatican feeling on the film, any further comment from the Holy Father, etc. Best, Peggy Noonan"

I got a response. "Dear Peggy, I don't have for now any other comment on this. I [sic] anything is said in the future I will send it to you. Greetings, J. Navarro-Valls."

So JN-V didn't say "I don't know of any further comments" that the Pope made. He said "I don't have for now any further comment on this." There's quite a bit of difference between the two.

Now I don't accuse Nooners of deliberate dishonesty on this matter. More likely, it's just sloppiness in the rush to meet a deadline, or wishful thinking, or both. And JN-V's response could have been clearer, though it still doesn't say what Peg said it did. But the episode is revealing on the issue of Peg's accuracy and attention to detail in general. Call it indifference to the truth.