There is definitely a defense to be made of the Shrine on judgment grounds, too. But cancelling the booksigning, I think, is where this unraveled. Lawler’s book is good and I’ve been reminded, seeing it in Catholic bookstores, that I read it in a rush and wanted to read it again — because there are unresolved issues. But I also think that the Shrine has a good case to made that its bookstore might not be the place for it. How many places can you go for the bread and butter fundamentals of faith? You can get Lawler’s book at Barnes and Noble. But will Aquinas himself and accessible contemporaries like Michael Novak and Fr. Thomas Williams and Scott Hahn necessarily be in stock? They will be at the Shrine.

I’m not saying I would keep Lawler’s book from the Shrine bookstore — which should have a bookshelf plate that says “Kathryn Lopez took much longer than she should have paying back her Catholic U loans because she bought the equivalent of this wall here.” — I probably wouldn’t. But, were the situation handled better, I could see Msgr.’s point. I don’t know him, but I don’t think he was trying to hide anything, I think he was trying to figure out the best way to be pastoral at a place that’s a pilgrimage site and tourist attraction and sees more people than he can ever meet nevermind to whom he can be a spiritual adviser.