Raymond Arroyo: Right Wing Demagogue?

[unafraid]

Firstly, let me state that I love Mother Angelica and EWTN. However, Raymond Arroyo and his program, “World Over Live”, has begun to disturb me. When I watch I sometimes have to blink and refocus my eyes to be sure I am not watching Rush Limbaugh. The right wing rhetoric is so pervasive that it might give a false view that ALL Roman Catholics are doctrinaire political conservatives. It is akin to the misperceived idea that our military is peopled solely by conservative Republicans, a sentiment urged on by the same sort of demagoguery. Raymond, if your listening, the Catholic financial contributors to EWTN are not all card-carrying members of the GOP. How about a little balance?

 

[doanli]

What specifics things has he said that have bothered you?

 

[rep140]

Raymond is talented, but not very objective. In his show with Judy Brown of American Life League and a woman (Sister?) from an association of Catholic hospitals it was Judy and Raymond against the latter. At one point he quoted something put out by the hospitals out of context so that the woman chastised him for not quoting the entire artical which showed the statement in a different light.

His scorn for the USCCB can not be disguised. If he wanted to be the authority he should have entered the priesthood. The comparison with Limbaugh is accurate.

 

[pnewton]

What are the the things he seems biased towards, or against, that is bothersome.

 

[thomasf]

I love Raymond Arroyo and his World Over show. I enjoy listening to him on Laura Ingraham’s show.

 

[Bataar]

I don’t get what he would say that is bothersome. It seems to me that anyone who is seriously practicing the Catholic faith would be pretty far on the “right wing”.

 

[RobbyS]

Raymond is talented, but not very objective. In his show with Judy Brown of American Life League and a woman (Sister?) from an association of Catholic hospitals it was Judy and Raymond against the latter. At one point he quoted something put out by the hospitals out of context so that the woman chastised him for not quoting the entire artical which showed the statement in a different light.

His scorn for the USCCB can not be disguised. If he wanted to be the authority he should have entered the priesthood. The comparison with Limbaugh is accurate.

The USCCB is more a political than a ecclesiastical body. Like any political body it is divided into conservative, centist, and liberal wings. The liberal wing is better represented in the staff, which is why some statements that comes from it read like something from the DNC. Its handing of the priest scandal was extraordinary. At the Dallas meeting they were addressed by two very liberal laypersons. The liberals tends to be anti-Roman. which is why Cardinal McCarrick showed up at the Kennedy funeral, as if Teddy deserved what amounted to a state funeral.

 

[mark_a]

Firstly, let me state that I love Mother Angelica and EWTN. However, Raymond Arroyo and his program, “World Over Live”, has begun to disturb me. When I watch I sometimes have to blink and refocus my eyes to be sure I am not watching Rush Limbaugh. The right wing rhetoric is so pervasive that it might give a false view that ALL Roman Catholics are doctrinaire political conservatives. It is akin to the misperceived idea that our military is peopled solely by conservative Republicans, a sentiment urged on by the same sort of demagoguery. Raymond, if your listening, the Catholic financial contributors to EWTN are not all card-carrying members of the GOP. How about a little balance?

I think I understand your view.

Similarly, on Catholic radio, whenever the subject of the national healthcare debate is opened up to callers, most callers seem much more worried about losing a benefit or some amount of healthcare quality, than their alignment with Church teaching about life issues. And many of the hosts pile on.

 

[unafraid]

I watched Ray and a CIA spokesman use the Catechism to defend torture…torture!! Any man who has ever served abroad, with the risk of capture, will tell you that this sort of rationale is what has always separated us from them. That is an extreme position to take on a Catholic network! This is just one example. Also, I found it offensive that while so many of our brothers and sisters were living, dying and praying in Haiti, Raymond chose to give the topic cursory coverage in deference to the healthcare debate. Finally, in response to the person who said to be Catholic is to be “right wing”, then must all of the beautiful priests, sisters, monks, reilgious people doing God’s work far from all the sound bites be considered what…“left wing fanatics”? Perhaps Ray, Rush and Laura could benefit from basic training and one tour of duty in their lifetimes. Then maybe they would not be so quick to play the patriot card. The bloodshed on foreign fields is both nondenominational and apolitical. It is just fear forcing itself to move forward for lack of a better alternative. Faith supercedes flag in that instance. That Ray blurrs that line…offends me.

 

[Jean_1958]

I used to like Raymond Arroyo, but now I can not bring myself to watch his show. I watched a show were I thought he was very disrespectful of the USCCB. Maybe I am too old school, but part of being Catholic is following the leadership of one’s bishop.

 

[Nec5]

I used to like Raymond Arroyo, but now I can not bring myself to watch his show. I watched a show were I thought he was very disrespectful of the USCCB. Maybe I am too old school, but part of being Catholic is following the leadership of one’s bishop.

Regardless of his actions?

 

[Bataar]

Finally, in response to the person who said to be Catholic is to be “right wing”, then must all of the beautiful priests, sisters, monks, reilgious people doing God’s work far from all the sound bites be considered what…“left wing fanatics”? Perhaps Ray, Rush and Laura could benefit from basic training and one tour of duty in their lifetimes. Then maybe they would not be so quick to play the patriot card. The bloodshed on foreign fields is both nondenominational and apolitical. It is just fear forcing itself to move forward for lack of a better alternative. Faith supercedes flag in that instance. That Ray blurrs that line…offends me.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was talking about political issues and ideology. If someone is firmly practicing their Catholic faith, I would think they would agree with say, Rush’s view on abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, health care, national security, economic issues, etc.

That’s not to say you need to agree with every single detail, but rather, the big picture. Even Pope John Paul II was against the war in Iraq so when I use national security as an example, I’m not referring to every single aspect of it, but when it comes to military spending and increasing our national defense, I would think it would be agreeable to Catholics.

 

[doanli]

I used to like Raymond Arroyo, but now I can not bring myself to watch his show. I watched a show were I thought he was very disrespectful of the USCCB. Maybe I am too old school, but part of being Catholic is following the leadership of one’s bishop.

Yes, but what if that Bishop doesn’t follow Rome or the Church’s teaching?

I find more in common with the “right wing” than the leftists.

And obeying the Pope is more important than following your local Bishop, that is “old school” too.

 

[pnewton]

I watched Ray and a CIA spokesman use the Catechism to defend torture…torture!!

That does seem odd. I guess I am confused by his show. It has the look of some news program, but one would expect the only bias to be a Catholic one, not a Republican one. Torture sure seems to be more of the latter.

As far as obeying one’s bishop, the USCCB is allowed to go beyond the teachings of the Church universally and apply those teachings to a specific situation. Unless there is a clear and direct contradiction, which I have yet to see, then we should obey our bishops. The Catholic Church has always taught subsidiarity. This is not to say they are above criticism though if they go beyond faith and morals into areas not covered by their charism. For example, in my own parish, I refuse to become a Red Sox fan.

 

[doanli]

That does seem odd. I guess I am confused by his show. It has the look of some news program, but one would expect the only bias to be a Catholic one, not a Republican one. Torture sure seems to be more of the latter.

As far as obeying one’s bishop, the USCCB is allowed to go beyond the teachings of the Church universally and apply those teachings to a specific situation. Unless there is a clear and direct contradiction, which I have yet to see, then we should obey our bishops. The Catholic Church has always taught subsidiarity. This is not to say they are above criticism though if they go beyond faith and morals into areas not covered by their charism. For example, in my own parish, I refuse to become a Red Sox fan.

LOL about the Red Sox fan!

However, it is the DNC’s official platform to support abortion on demand. That is why I am not a Democrat and cannot support their candidates unless they come out and say they are Pro-Life and can prove it if they have been in office before.

As long as bishops don’t “buck” the Pope (as my grandparents used to put it), they have my undying support and obedience as well.

What has Arroyo specifically criticized the bishops about because I do not follow his TV show and only hear him on the Laura Ingraham show.

 

[tafan]

What specifics things has he said that have bothered you?

I am a conservative and have always voted republican, but I have some major disagreements with the GOP, particularly on the issue of immigration. Raymond Arroyo ‘s programming on immigration has been way too far right wing (why o’ why is not a liberal immigration policy considered conservative?) and one sided. So much so that I don’t go out of my way to watch his show anymore.

 

[pnewton]

However, it is the DNC’s official platform to support abortion on demand. That is why I am not a Democrat and cannot support their candidates unless they come out and say they are Pro-Life and can prove it if they have been in office before.

Same here. I think the objection is that Mr. Arroyo is not impartial on issues that are common to Republicans, but not part of Catholic theology. Torture was one example given above, along with immigration. These are two areas I break ranks with Republicans on. Healthcare issues I also break with the Republican Party over, although not the proposals coming out of Congress. But even if I agreed with that, I could do so and be 100% orthodox Catholic.

It would be better to have a Catholic network stick to Catholic morality in the news and show impartiality in everything else. On the other hand, I recognize the difficult of making such distinctions. I am convinced that impartial news coverage is pretty much a pipe dream anyway.

 

[puzzleannie]

Arroyo is an editorial commentator on an editorial news program, that is a program like Nightline or the one on PBS where a self-proclaimed expert gives his spin on the news. It is his spin, does not represent the POV of his network, or of the Church. Anybody watching should do so in that understanding. Yeah he does sound like Rush sometimes, but he is nicer and cuter than Rush.

 

[Marie5890]

My only thought on this goes to the torture issue.

After what Our Lord went thru, I cant imagine Him ever being Ok with it.
Never.

 

[pnewton]

Arroyo is an editorial commentator on an editorial news program, that is a program like Nightline or the one on PBS where a self-proclaimed expert gives his spin on the news. It is his spin, does not represent the POV of his network, or of the Church. Anybody watching should do so in that understanding. Yeah he does sound like Rush sometimes, but he is nicer and cuter than Rush.

That’s good to remember, although the way he starts his show seems more like a news program. I guess* unafraid* has a valid point, then.