I don't watch EWTN but

[Sam_Maloney]

Most liberal priests in my area just hate EWTN: call it reactionary and old fashioned.

But sometimes I think that this is because they’ve never really looked at it, just heard Cardinal Mahoney’s side of that struggle, etc. It’s a bit the same as Fox News-- the people who hate it haven’t given it any real attention.

I’ve never seen anything really quesionable on EWTN, at least not since they stopped promoting Garabandal.

 

[Polaris]

I like many an EWTN show but at the same time it rubs me the wrong way when it comes to submission. It specifically and nefariously avoided the bishops having any relationship with it or having any power over it. Now if it is truly a “Catholic” entity it should want to be in the hands of the shepards chosen by God instead of avoiding them. It still has good shows though, I like Father Pacwa and love me my Father Rutler. Yet it always reminds me that people always want power and refuse to submit.

 

[Mark_Robert]

EWTN is very orthodox and true to the faith. GIve me a break! The accusers seriously need to get a life!

 

[rescath]

EWTN is very orthodox and true to the faith. GIve me a break! The accusers seriously need to get a life!

Not in all cases. You really have to take it show by show. As I said, some are absolutely wonderful & excellent. Others, however, especially Father Groeschel, promote religious indifferentism and denial of the dogma “No Salvation Outside the Church.” Then there’s all the unbecoming open sexual discussion – which violates many of the precepts laid out by the Holy Father regarding the delicacy with which such matters must be treated in any other forum than within the family (principles of sex education). EVERY OTHER show is about sex anymore. I got rid of cable, but when I did have it, I had to make sure that EWTN was not the channel on the cable box before I turned it on because just about every time I turned it on (when it had last been set to EWTN) I had to scramble to change the channel to turn it off lest my young children hear and be subjected to disturbingly frank discussion of sexual matters.

 

[rescath]

I like many an EWTN show but at the same time it rubs me the wrong way when it comes to submission. It specifically and nefariously avoided the bishops having any relationship with it or having any power over it. Now if it is truly a “Catholic” entity it should want to be in the hands of the shepards chosen by God instead of avoiding them. It still has good shows though, I like Father Pacwa and love me my Father Rutler. Yet it always reminds me that people always want power and refuse to submit.

That was under Mother Angelica, when EWTN was much better. Our wonderful U.S. bishops would only interfere to pollute EWTN, as has actually happened. Faith is greater than obedience, and I’m afraid that the bishops will not be judged well by Almighty God–unless they repent.

 

[rescath]

Christopher Ferrara wrote an excellent book about EWTN talking about how it went downhill after they kicked Mother Angelica out, and he cites voluminously myriad specific instances of morally or theologically offensive material on the network.

 

[JReducation]

I like many an EWTN show but at the same time it rubs me the wrong way when it comes to submission. It specifically and nefariously avoided the bishops having any relationship with it or having any power over it. Now if it is truly a “Catholic” entity it should want to be in the hands of the shepards chosen by God instead of avoiding them. It still has good shows though, I like Father Pacwa and love me my Father Rutler. Yet it always reminds me that people always want power and refuse to submit.

The answer to your question is very simple. EWTN was founded by the Franciscan Order. The Franciscan Order has its own Ordinaries. Canon Law does not allow two Ordinaries simultaneous jurisdiction over the same group of people.

Because the Franciscan Order is an exempt religious order, its major superiors are their Ordinaries, not the bishops. This is the case all over the world.

If EWTN were surrendered to the bishops the Franciscans would no longer be the Ordinaries over a ministry that is proper to their order, which their order founded and for which their order raised the funds.

For IRS purposes, EWTN is a non-profit private corporation with its own Board of Directors. But it is free. That means that no cable network has to pay to transmit it. There are no fees involved for the cable companies. The Franciscan Order did not want to make money from EWTN. It functions completely from donations.

Contrary to popular rumours, Mother Angelica was not thrown out. Because of her age and health the Eternal Word Missionary Friars, then under the direction of the Friars Minor Capuchin, took over the project. The Board never changed. It is still composed of Franciscans, lay theologians, deacons, secular priests, business people and people in the arts.

Neither the Franciscans nor the Board own EWTN. It is owned by itself. Nonetheless, the Second Order Franciscans (Poor Clares) founded it. Then the leadership passed into the hands of the Third Order Franciscans (Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word).

Notice that we’re talking about the leadership, not the ownership. It is not owned by anyone. It is its own owner.

In the event that the Eternal Word Missionaries decide to pull out of this ministry, then it would pass into the hands of the bishop of the diocese. Should he not want it, then it would pass into the hands of the Conference of Bishops. This is the way that Franciscans manage all of their ministries.

Not a single Franciscan ministry around the world falls under the jurisdiction of the Bishops. This is also true of Benedictines, Caremelites, Dominicans, Jesuits and Augustinians. These religious families are exempt orders of pontifical rite. Only the Holy Father has authority over their ministries.

This has nothing to do with ministries that they run for the bishops. In those cases the Bishop is the ordinary. But EWTN is not one of them. The Bishops did not found it, they did not provide the funds, nor did they provide the leadership.

Therefore, according to canon law, the religious order has the freedom to set it up in compliance with Canon Law and the Constitutions of their order.

The Poor Clares and the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word have been leading this ministry for many years. Although the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word are not a religious order yet, they come under the protection of the Poor Clares and the Capuchin Franciscans, which are exempt orders.

Someday, as usually happens, the Fraciscans will decided that its time to move on to a new ministry and offer it to the bishop. They will not sell it to him. They will give it over completely free. The Rule of St. Francis does not allow them to profit from the Church.

Traditionally, they have never sold any of their ministries to any diocese or Bishops’ Conference. They have always moved on to a new mission as the Spirit guides them when the spirit guides them. When they do, they leave everything behind. The bishops will inherit a network with a complete infrastructure, buildings and technology.

Hope this helps,

Fraternally,

JR

 

[Sam_Maloney]

Christopher Ferrara, for those who don’t know, is a follower of Fr. Grunner, whose opinions on who and what is or isn’t ‘Catholic’ leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[KingAlfred]

EWTN’s doing something right, because both sides complain about it. People on the Progressive side sometimes accuse it of being too rigidly orthodox, while people on the Traditional side (usually WAY Traditional) accuse it of being a little squishy on the faith.

I’ve read the criticisms, but I won’t post any links. I’m sure an internet search will turn up plenty. I think Mother Angelica has given the Church an amazing gift. There’s no telling how many souls have been saved as a result of the EWTN TV and radio networks.

I love EWTN. It’s definitely a force of goodness in the world.

 

[JReducation]

I love EWTN. It’s definitely a force of goodness in the world.

I agree. I have watched it for more than 10 years. I have never seen any of the so called sexually explicit programming that some people claim to see. I have seen plain speaking programs on human sexuality, abortion, birth control, same-sex marriage, pornography, pre-marital sex, and marriage.

If one notices the speakers are all scholars. Scholars do not speak for children, they speak to other scholars and to adults who are interested in scholarship.

EWTN has made an effort to put in children’s programming in the afternoon. Any child who is watching Life on the Rock or Franciscan University or the Journey Home and other such prorams, is out of his or her league. These programs were created for adults.

It is up to the parent to decide what a child can watch or not. It is not up to a team of theologians, exegetes, philosophers, pastoral ministers and other professionals to disguise the simple facts of life just in case a child is watching a program whose target population is an adult audience.

We have to use common sense here and stop wishing that EWTN or any other Catholic media talk only about the nice things in the world. That’s not good media coverage.

I would not give a child Archbishop Chaput’s book to read. It’s out of his league and it’s very explicit on conception and abortion. I would not expect a child to sit through a talk show on the same subject.

Fraternally,

JR