The Catholic Bishops are cranky, but American Catholics aren't listening

The Catholic Bishops are still bitching about Notre Dame inviting Obama to its graduation. Because, in the warped world of the American Catholic hierarchy, that's a big issue. But, the bishops are out of touch with their parishioners:

Polls show Catholics giving high job approval ratings to Obama, and Catholic attitudes about abortion and stem-cell research largely mirror the public's.

"I think the bishops who believe abortion is the ultimate litmus test look at the polls and realize Catholics are not listening to them," said the Rev. Mark Massa, co-director of the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University. "They're playing a very dangerous game because they do not have the moral authority they had before the sex abuse crisis, and they're trying to find a toehold and get heard."

So far, the Notre Dame saga doesn't seem to be resonating. Only about half of Catholics surveyed by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life from April 23 to 27 had heard about the controversy.

Of course it isn't resonating. The Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals often border on the absurd in terms of their outspoken priorities. A speech by the presdident at Notre Dame doesn't bother most Catholics. It's not a real issue.

Sounds like the Catholic bishops are spending too much time listening to Rush.