Barnburner of a sermon at St. Michael’s Parish in East Longmeadow this past Sunday.

We know that because New York Times reporter Katie Zezima was there to mash up the Rev. James J. Scahill’s jeremiad about the Roman Catholic Church’s coverup of pedophile priests with Times reporter Jesse McKinley’s report from Oakland, Calif. about “[an] Oakland priest at the center of a case that has raised questions about Pope Benedict XVI’s handling of sexually abusive clergy members.”

A woman who claims she was abused by that Oakland priest, Stephen Kiesle, “described in vivid terms on Sunday how she was sexually abused and intimidated by her attacker.”

Cut to Zezima:

Her account came on the same day a priest in Massachusetts used his sermon to condemn the church’s handling of the broader sexual abuse scandal, describing some in the clergy as “felons” and suggesting that Benedict resign.

“We must personally and collectively declare that we very much doubt the veracity of the pope and those of church authority who are defending him or even falling on the sword on his behalf,” said the priest, the Rev. James J. Scahill of St. Michael’s Parish in East Longmeadow.

“It is beginning to become evident that for decades, if not centuries, church leadership covered up the abuse of children and minors to protect its institutional image and the image of priesthood.”

More from East Longmedow:

From his pulpit on Sunday, Father Scahill, a vociferous and frequent critic of the church’s handling of the sexual abuse crisis, delivered a scathing sermon in which he said, “There surely is solid ground here for severe doubt” about what the Vatican says it knew about the sexual abuse.

“And if by any slimmest of chance the pope and all his bishops didn’t know — they all should resign on the basis of sheer and complete ignorance, incompetence and irresponsibility,” Father Scahill said.

Question: Did Zezima just happen to be present at the Western Mass. mass?

Or did she get a heads up from Scahill? (No mentions of his sermon in the Boston Globe, and the Boston Herald came late to the party.)

And if the latter, is Scahill just using the Times to shill his message?

Inquiring minds want to know.

So the hardworking staff at Campaign Outsider will contact Katie Zezima and ask.

Stay tuned.