So, I assume, that ANYTHING in the form of a response will be harshly criticized by the vengeful media. It is almost as though they are saying, “you didn’t jump when we told you to, so now when you move of your own volition we’ll be there to bite off our pound of flesh”.
I sometimes feel that if a reporter were to encounter the Pope and the pontiff said, “hello, lovely day, isn’t it?”, that the next day’s headlines would read: “Detatched pontiff cares more about the weather than abused children”. How can one effectively communicate in an environment of open vendetta and hostility on the part of the press? It is a rigged game. They will not cease at this, so the Vatican has no choice but to remain circumspect.
This no longer (if it ever was) is about the sex scandals of the Church. We are now dealing with an all-out smear campaign. And before you scoff at that assertion, please do some study on the subject. Smear campaigns are very real and very difficult to defend against. Nothing the Pope says or does will be shown in a positive light. Before the dust settles, Pope Benedict will have to endure a campaign of dehumanization that will besmirch both his good name and his noble office. I support him, I support the Church, and I pray that in the end it is the press themselves who are scandalized for their own mendacity.
