Mahony Attacks Times Poll of Nuns, Priests : Media: Cardinal says survey is ‘heavily skewed.’ Newspaper defends study as well-reasoned and fair.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, saying that he is outraged over a survey of priests and nuns by the Los Angeles Times, accused the newspaper Tuesday of planning to join in “the American media’s favorite pastime--Catholic bashing.”

The polling, which is still in progress, was defended by Shelby Coffey III, editor and executive vice president of The Times, as “well-reasoned and fair.”

The Times began sending questionnaires to several thousand priests and nuns throughout the United States in mid-October in an effort to “better understand the issues and challenges facing the Roman Catholic Church,” a cover letter to potential respondents said.

Mahony said he was offended by the questions. Citing the opinions of two research scholars--whom Mahony refused to identify--the Los Angeles archbishop charged that the survey is “heavily skewed toward researching specific, predetermined conclusions.”

“While I recognize and acknowledge your 1st Amendment rights to publish anything you wish, at the same time I must object most vigorously to this clumsy, superficial attempt to generate headlines at the expense of the U.S. Catholic Church,” Mahony said in a letter to Coffey and Times Publisher and Chief Executive Officer David Laventhol.

The cardinal said he would have had no objection if the poll was “well-reasoned, comprehensive and scholarly.” Instead, he charged, the poll was limited to issues of church authority, sex and whether priests are sexually active.

“Clearly, the tone of the surveys reveals that whoever prepared them does not have much respect for priestly life or commitment and instead is trying to determine how many are active either heterosexually or homosexually. I find this not only sad, but repulsive and demeaning--and an insult to the calling of the priesthood,” Mahony said.

The questionnaire deals with those topics as well as a broad range of other issues, including whether priests and nuns believe that the U.S. news media’s treatment of the Catholic Church is fair, whether they are satisfied in their calling, whether they feel affirmed and supported by other priests or nuns, and the problems facing families and minorities.

In response, Coffey issued the following statement:

“The Times has one of the best opinion researchers in the business. Our polls are nationally and internationally recognized as well-reasoned and fair--as is our coverage of religion.

“Our role is to report, not exacerbate. Our interest in this survey is a journalistic one: to examine a range of subjects--some controversial, some less so--that are important to people within the Catholic Church today. The intent is not to provoke, but to aid discussion.

“If the nuns and priests who are asked to participate agree with the cardinal about this survey, or for any other reason do not want to answer the questions, then they may decline to be a part of the survey.

“When we have completed our polling in the next several weeks, we will publish the results,” Coffey said.