I got this e-mail this morning, regarding the Mel Gibson divorce:

This is a couple’s private tragedy. The laws of The United States may exclude celebrities from privacy protections, but that does not give us a moral pass to pronounce judgments on them.

Shame on you, a deacon of the Church, for helping to publicize and bring further scandal on them – on Easter week!

Please spare me the excuse that he made the statement public. I would accept that from A Current Affair, but not from you.

I will continue to pray for you as I always do when I see these kinds of things in your blog. Remember that this is a time for rejoicing in the glory of the Resurrection and you will not even consider lowering your mind into the filth of celebrity gossip.

Well, it’s a sad situation for all concerned. But for better or worse, Gibson is very much a public figure, and arguably one of the most famous and widely admired Catholics in America. It’s news. Not gossip.