From our ‘no comment’ department

Terry Mattingly September 3rd, 2008

I realize that authorities in the American Catholic hierarchy are currently debating the ecclesiastical status of Sen. Joseph Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

But Fox News has opened up an entirely different front, when it comes to the battles over the meaning of “devout Catholic” and other related terms. Or do we need to blame Us magazine?

I offer the following news report — this is the complete story, I am afraid — with no additional commentary, other than a silent scream of, “WWWWHHHHAAAAT?????”

Former adult film star Jenna Jameson has confirmed that she’s pregnant following months of buzz.

“Yes, I can confirm I’m pregnant. It’s still early, so I’m being cautious. I’m resting as much as possible,” she tells Usmagazine.com, adding that she and boyfriend of two years, mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz, “are still in a state of shock.”

“I’m so happy!” she said.

Jameson, 34, previously told Us she discovered she was two months pregnant in November 2004 after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma. A day later, she miscarried due to the stress of cancer. But the devout Catholic — who has tried in vitro — told Us, “It was all in God’s plan.”

Jameson — who split from adult film studio owner Jay Grdina in 2006 and from porn star Brad Armstrong in 2001 said she and Ortiz have no plans to wed.

“I think I’m gonna stay unmarried and just go for the babies!” she told Us. “I’m following in Angelina’s footsteps!”

I have tried to show restraint in the choice of art for this post. I ask those who dare to leave comments to do the same.

Let’s focus on this question: What does the word “devout” mean in the media phrase “devout Catholic”? What should it mean? For example: Does this term mean that the person has a full sacramental relationship with the Catholic faith, including confession?

Professor Terry Mattingly writes the nationally syndicated On Religion column for the Scripps Howard News Service in Washington, D.C., which is sent to about 350 newspapers in North America. He's also a regular contributor at GetReligion.org and the author of the book Pop Goes Religion: Faith in Popular Culture.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 am and is filed under Catholic, GetReligion.org, Jenna Jameson, Journalism, Religion Reporting, Terry Mattingly, Us Magazine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.