Catholic Media Mutiny

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Catholic Media Mutiny
June 11th, 2009 by Louie Verrecchio

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the faithful had ready access to reliable media sources that consistently present news items and important issues truthfully and completely, while also communicating the authentic doctrine of the faith so dependably that Catholics could receive the information they relay with complete confidence?

The Second Vatican Council thought so.

…

Enter Catholic News Service (CNS) — an agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that was created more than forty years before the Council specifically for the purpose of carrying out this very mission.

…

Catholic News Service has long been viewed with a suspicious eye by “conservative” Catholic groups, but any perception that this wariness was confined to some traditionalist fringe, however, was officially put to rest earlier this year.

By January 2009, CNS’ failure to consistently apply reliably Catholic editorial standards had become so problematic that Archbishop Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican, was moved to take the extraordinarily bold step of criticizing CNS from Rome.

…
 
We the “people in the pews” need to soberly consider whether or not our diocesan newspapers are truly worthy of our support based on the quality of their content alone. Many certainly are, but if yours is not, don’t allow yourself to be quietly forced into supporting it. Offer respectful but candid feedback to the editors, pastors and bishops involved letting them know that you will not fund media content that misrepresents our Catholic faith.
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Great article…thanks once again for bringing this to our attention. We judged ours not worthy of reading several months ago. We also decided, after the ruckus of the last CHD and the types of political groups we unwittingly helped fund, we will no longer contribute anything that funnels into the USCCB or even our diocese (which shall remain anonymous.) Don’t mean to hurt the innocent along with the guilty, but we’ve just about had it. Our suspicions of the USCCB remain at an all time high…we tithe only to organizations we’ve thoroughly checked beforehand…to indeed make certain the $$ is going to the poor and not into some leftist liberal group wanting to obtain political clout in the name of charity to the poor.
 
In a speech before the Knights of Columbus, His Grace, the late Fulton J. Sheen noted that it will be the laity that saves the faith, not the clergy. This is becoming increasingly apparent as the bishops and Rome refuse to act decisively to check the decadence we have witnessed within the Church over the last forty years or so. Why hasn’t this publication’s editor and staff (if necessary) been fired long ago?
 
Thank you for posting that. Over a 40 year period, I watched a living Catholic community be slowly, gradually poisoned. The enemy took us by the hand and showed us a few things that were a little bad, then slightly more bad and on and on. All the while playing on our compassion and respect for others.

So I’m glad to hear that someone is speaking up. I’m sure the Pope has his hands full. In the meantime, let’s keep each other informed.

Peace,
Ed
 
catholicexchange.com/2009/06/11/119389/

Catholic Media Mutiny

Louie Verrecchio On June 11, 2009

Below is an excerpt

…In the Decree on the Media of Social Communications, *Inter Mirifica *, the Council Fathers spoke of the “inherent right of the Church to have at its disposal media as necessary or useful for the instruction of Christians, and all its efforts for the welfare of souls” (cf IM 3).

Along with this right, **the Catholic media has the duty “to instill a fully Christian spirit into readers,” **(cf IM 14) and for this purpose the Council Fathers envisioned, “

**Enter Catholic News Service **(CNS) — an agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that was created more than forty years before the Council specifically for the purpose of carrying out this very mission…

Catholic News Service has long been viewed with a suspicious eye by “conservative” Catholic groups, but any perception that this wariness was confined to some traditionalist fringe, however, was officially put to rest earlier this year…
 
Our local source of CNS: the “Southern Cross”, which is advertised by the “Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference” in parishes across the country: openly promotes legal abortion, and the use of condoms, and homosexuality (attacked Vatican for guidelines meant to prevent pedophiles!), and CNS itself, loves to twist stats against the church. I know, I helped get some stats for the Local bishops!
 
Marc_Aupiais said:
Our local source of CNS: the “Southern Cross”, which is advertised by the “Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference” in parishes across the country: openly promotes legal abortion, and the use of condoms, and homosexuality (attacked Vatican for guidelines meant to prevent pedophiles!), and CNS itself, loves to twist stats against the church. I know, I helped get some stats for the Local bishops!
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It just gets worse and worse. I found an internet article to substantiate your statement on the condoms. Could you please provide a link regarding their promotion of abortion? Thank you.
 
An example sited of the Southern Cross: is: this opinion they gave: that making abortion illegal is in their view pointless, they also attack pro-life bishops. This is just one of their completely biased articles!:

"I do not support abortion; I see it is a profound tragedy. But the repeal of every law permitting abortions in every country in the world will not stop them. There have always been and will always be pregnant women who for various reasons decide that they cannot carry the pregnancy to term. Throughout human history women have found ways to do abortions. In the early 1970s, before the Roe vs Wade decision in the United States, I listened in horror as a friend from my university days described how she did her own abortion with knitting needles and almost bled to death.

The anti-abortion rhetoric of some bishops disturbs me greatly. Why is this the only life issue for them? Why is the rhetoric so extreme? A man and a woman are involved in every conception but it is the woman who bears the child and it is women who come to the decision that they cannot complete the pregnancy. Does the father of the child support and help the mother? Or does he run away and abandon her? I have heard women say, “What does a bishop know about pregnancy? This is an easy issue for male celibates to focus on. They will never know women’s fear and terror because of an unwanted pregnancy.” Very true.

Rather than episcopal threats and extreme rhetoric, let these bishops examine the reasons for abortions and work to reduce their number. The church speaks of a “seamless garment” of life issues; concentrating only on abortion to the neglect of other life issues is certainly not helpful."

again, quoted from the Catholic Culture review which here quotes an article the Southern Cross released and published online for the US election, where they (Southern Cross) used their online and local presence to promote the Democrats, and their policy on abortion, I prefer not to link to that newspaper!

Review: cached: example of just one pro-abortion article:

catholicculture.org/culture/reviews/view.cfm?Example=7979&recnum=4135&task=showexample

To think the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), not only tolerate this, and outright attacks on the Vatican, but have their parish priests advertise it weekly in their churches, and use it as their major voice to give local Catholics info (they don’t even focus their releases on their own diocesan papers: literally read, on one I received: that they focussed something on use of the Southern Cross, which Father Chris Townsend, the Information officer of our local Bishops’: says the Bishops partly own).

Of course, it is just another paper, which airs CNS articles, and many of our local priests went on state television (on a show the Bishops’ Conference advertised (have their release: as member of media list)), to declare publicly, that the church should, and one day would ordain women!
 
Although the destruction of truth has been going on for quite a while and is nothing new, to see and hear our bishops so blatantly distort and outright attack church teaching is hard to comprehend when we know that Christ promised the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. But then, our Blessed Mother, in the church approved Akita apparitions said that the time would come, if the world remained unrepentent, that bishop would be against bishop and cardinal against cardinal. I guess the thing that I do NOT understand is the silence of Rome.
 
Tigg said:
Although the destruction of truth has been going on for quite a while and is nothing new, to see and hear our bishops so blatantly distort and outright attack church teaching is hard to comprehend when we know that Christ promised the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. But then, our Blessed Mother, in the church approved Akita apparitions said that the time would come, if the world remained unrepentent, that bishop would be against bishop and cardinal against cardinal. I guess the thing that I do NOT understand is the silence of Rome.
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L’Osservator itself, a Vatican based, but not Vatican vetted paper, has taken the side of abortionists: attacking a Bishop in Brazil, who excommunicated doctors who performed a public abortion.

The Pope seems a Godly man: but he often seems to speak indirectly, and via nuance, besides, that source above noted some official there. They seem to scared of losing all faithful, if the bishops go into schism, as some have. I think they should be acting against this, and yet, perhaps they see further obstacles. With heresy so rife in the priesthood, throughout many nations, the church is fighting for its life. Perhaps the Church is doing a world war II stance, fearing that public opposition will not work?
 
Marc_Aupiais said:
The Pope seems a Godly man: but he often seems to speak indirectly, and via nuance, besides, that source above noted some official there. They seem to scared of losing all faithful, if the bishops go into schism, as some have. I think they should be acting against this, and yet, perhaps they see further obstacles. With heresy so rife in the priesthood, throughout many nations, the church is fighting for its life. Perhaps the Church is doing a world war II stance, fearing that public opposition will not work?
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I have read that when Humanae Vitae came out in the 60’s, that there was such widespread opposition to it here in the States, that the clerics were disciplined, but after appealing to Rome for redress, the Vatican later sided with them against the Cardinal bringing the rebuke. I will quote from my source, a book by the late Fr. Richard Gilsdorf, “The Signs of the Times.”
George Weigel has called the Vatican’s inaction “The Truce of 1968” which he said, ‘taught theologians, priests and other Church professionals that dissent from authoritative teaching was, essentially, cost-free. The Truce of 1968 taught bishops inclined to defend authoritative Catholic teaching vigorously that they should think twice about doing so, if controversy were likely to follow. Rome, fearing schism, was nervous about public action against dissent.’
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He further states this was the birth of Cafeteria Catholicism. I guess I just answered my own question. A trend was set and became a speeding train; we are now witnessing the train wreck? BUT how does this happen when the Spirit is guiding the Church? Oh, how much much prayer is needed.
 
Tigg said:
I have read that when Humanae Vitae came out in the 60’s, that there was such widespread opposition to it here in the States, that the clerics were disciplined, but after appealing to Rome for redress, the Vatican later sided with them against the Cardinal bringing the rebuke. I will quote from my source, a book by the late Fr. Richard Gilsdorf, “The Signs of the Times.”

He further states this was the birth of Cafeteria Catholicism. I guess I just answered my own question. A trend was set and became a speeding train; we are now witnessing the train wreck? BUT how does this happen when the Spirit is guiding the Church? Oh, how much much prayer is needed.
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They spirit guides the magisteriam, but it is not invoked very often despite our crisis. The spirit works, where we allow it to!
 
I was there for Humanae Vitae. The Pope at the time outlined the consequences if the rules against using artificial contraception were not followed. But that’s when the coordinated attack began to separate sex from love and divide the family. Let’s review:

1968 Send in the Hippies. Free love! Sex with anyone. Down with the Establishment! Don’t trust anyone over 30! Mom, dad, priests, nuns, they don’t know anything. I don’t need no piece of paper to live with my old lady.

1970 Time cover story about religious leaving the Church. Pornography, graphic pornography, is legalized. Porn bookstores open everywhere. Topless go-go bars. The sale of millions of birth control pills were at stake. Adultery is now called ‘swinging.’

1973 It’s OK to kill your unborn child but only in case of emergency, or so we were told.

1978 The National Organization for Women strikes fear into the hearts of all women – men are the enemy. Perfect marketing for the completion of …

1980s No-Fault Divorce completes its sweep of the country. No kids? $75 and you’re out.
Porn on cable and in motels.

1990s Into the abyss. Families torn apart by divorce, just add profanity on the radio, profanity in rap, and profanity and partial nudity on ABC. Throw in the internet and 24 hour, global access to porn. Church parking lots empty and mall parking lots fill up.

The Church, in its imitation of Christ, does not force, it explains. Witness the Father Jenkins episode at Notre Dame. His Bishop met with him in the hope of fruitful dialogue.

The Church is not a corporation and Pope Benedict did comment that he often sees more weeds than wheat. Father Corapi recently commented on Bishops going to Rome, saying yes to the Pope, and then going back to doing what they were doing.

It should be the case that we, as Catholics, add our well considered voices and communicate with our Bishops and even Rome if we believe we should. Not in anger but in genuine and loving concern. I encourage you.

Peace,
Ed
 
Good timeline, Ed…I remember the sixties as well, an infamous time of history, indeed.

But in order to fully understand, do we not have to admit that there was certainly genuine apostasy with priests who counseled women that birth control was really okay to engage in, as long as it was done in “good conscience.” That was also the time when priests broke with the fundamentals of church teaching and declared that the Sacrament of Marriage was only valid if the two joined together still really loved each other. If one did not love, then the Sacrament was no longer valid; thus the marriage was null and void in the eyes of God.

I personally know of many Catholics who desired, after a divorce and second marriage, to enter into full communion once again with the Church. They were told, after a brief counseling period with the priest, who by his own merits, not following any true teaching, decided that they could receive the Sacraments without benefit of an annulment. Indeed, for many, the idea of an annulment was not even mentioned. They were given some sort of hocus pocus absolution from the priest and went on their merry way to receive Communion and often times went into ministry. I have spoken with this among many friends…way too many were deceived by their own pastors.

Now we hear silence when we should be getting solid catechesis, and untruths being printed by Catholic publications.

Oh yes, we all need to spread the truth, now, and fight this element of Satan wherever and whenever we can.
 
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