What are your thoughts on Church Militant?

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Jesuslover said:
I admire their strong commitment to orthodox Catholic teaching, but I dislike that they seem to peddle hatred against Pope Francis and Church leaders. They spring upon all the bad things Francis does, but they rarely cover the good things he does. What do you guys think?
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Just because a publication isn’t connected to the Church doesn’t mean it is inaccurate. I read some secular and Protestant sites.

My issue with CM, LSN, Lepanto, OnePererFive, Rorate, and Taylor Marshall’s sites is that they aren’t Catholic, but kinda sorta imply they are.

For instance, Focus on the Family seems ok to me. I don’t feel any need to say “They are not Catholic”, since no one(?) thinks they are. But some people wrongly think CM, Lepanto, or Rorate are Catholic, because of their names. Their tone often implies a connection to the Church, as does National Catholic Reporter.

Thus, it seems useful to point out and correct a common misconception. They are not in any way Catholic ministries.
 
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The bishop requested National Catholic Reporter change their name, since they have no connection to the Church. They refused to.

The bishop requested Michael Voris change the name of his ministry to drop the word Catholic, for the same reason. He changed it to Church Militant, which omits the word Catholic.

But Church Militant is a term used almost exclusively by Catholics, so likely some people think it’s a Catholic apostolate.
 
I avoid at all costs…

Archbishop Chaput said it well when he said,and I paraphrase, that Church Militant is not interested in doing anything constructive
 
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Catholic-focused muckrakers.

I can’t help but wonder how much crosses over into calumny and whether watching the Vortex is material cooperation.
 
I doubt if they “uncover” anything. In my city the daily paper and other media give extreme coverage to any news or rumors in any way negative to the Catholic Church. CM obviously monitors this theme.

Several times they caught a story from our local media, did some phone calls to various people involved. They magnified the lurid details and any implication hostile to the diocese. They omitted data that didn’t support their theme.

The story they published was essentially the same story in our daily newspaper but with the lurid stepped up.

But if you didn’t live in my city, you wouldn’t know that.
 
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DeSales111 said:
Let me see, they report abuses and cover ups within the Church, hmmm. How long and why has the sex abuse scandals been going on? How long has homosexuality been running rampant in seminaries? How long has there been financial corruption inside the Church? A long time because no one wanted to speak up.

Maybe they are a bit in your face the way they report, but these things are important, and when no one speaks up nothing gets done. Why should the anger be directed at the bearer of bad news? I’m glad they report the corruption and bad behavior within the clergy. We need to know
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I think you have made excellent summation.

I believe that in Catholicism we oftentimes look to our leadership as always giving us “just”’ guidance and good example, and speaking the truth. However, we know this simply isn’t always the case. I wish this were the case, but we also have to realize and we find out more and more there are sometimes abuses at high levels. They are men with like passions as everyone else. They may answer to a higher calling than us, but as we know, some abuse this calling.

Many devout Catholics take offence to sites like Church Militant and Lifesite News because they view it as an attack on the church. Admittedly, some of their presentations may seem a bit over the top and sensationalized, but usually there is, if not 100%, a high degree of an element of truth.

Many things that were once easily covered up, now through things like social media and the internet are now being exposed.

We have to understand that it is also acceptable for bishops to sometimes question the Pope. Certain bishops like Burke, Schneider, and Sarah have been criticized for seeking a clarification of the Pope’s statements and positions. All bishops are part of the magisterium to assure that the truth is being presented and to avoid heresies.

I think what we all really want is the “truth”. If we don’t have the truth, what do we have? We can’t and shouldn’t just stick our heads in the sand or put fingers in our ears. I am sure God wants us to know the truth. We depend on the church to be the provider of that truth. Whether, I always agree with all sources out there the fact is as you have stated if they didn’t exist, would a number of these abuses or improprieties still be occurring. All the people of the church are responsible or guarding the faith.
 
commenter said:
The story they published was essentially the same story in our daily newspaper but with the lurid stepped up.

But if you didn’t live in my city, you wouldn’t know that.
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And that is why such outlets as Church Militant are valuable and feared! They enable people to see patterns over a larger area. The story in your local paper will only be read by locals and the “bigger picture” should there be one, will be missed. If your story was similar to others elsewhere you would be in ignorance of this fact! This is exactly why the clerical abuse thrived across the USA. Witnesses believed that if the found evidence locally it was likely only a local problem.The editors of “old media” outlets who mixed with the movers and shakers knew of all this but kept quiet. They showed where their loyalties lay. Like when the British press kept quiet regarding the Wallace Simpson affair. The rest of the developed world knew of it long before the British public did. Be very suspicious of the motives of those who seek to muzzle such outlets. Sunlight IS the best disinfectant.
 
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This is the Age of anti-religious authority. On TV shows kids know more than the parents, especially more than the father, who is a fool, or worse. The boss at work is either a dummy, or cruel.

Movies depict clergy as lustful or thieves, but more often as useless or irrelevant if well intentioned. In the occasions where a priest or nun is applauded in the media, invariably it’s someone courageously defying a bishop.

This is the dominant trend in 2020, and CM takes advantage of it. They shine a light on the places that are currently lit up, and not on any unexpected, dark places. They tempt us to Go With the Flow, to confess and repent the sins of others. Not ours.
 
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I see Church Militant more as a news outlet and I think that is what they are striving to become. They receive a lot of criticism for reporting on the questionable actions of the clergy.

Unfortunately, even when they are right they get blasted because they are seen as having an anti-Francis/church of nice/Vatican II agenda. They and other websites, such as Lifesite news, get thrown into this basket, so they are automatically discredited based upon that criteria alone.

Rarely does the conversation actually refute what they are reporting but instead the top comments at the start of the posts are usually similar to

“They are reactionary don’t listen to them…”
“More chicken little the sky is falling rhetoric…”
“They dislike our blessed Pope Francis and are out to smear his good name…”
“Avoid at all costs…”
“Voris is divisive and rude…”
“They were forced to remove Catholic from their name, so that’s all I need to know…”
“They aren’t the Catholic Church why are you even listening to them…”
“Oh so you trust them over our blessed Pope Francis???”
“More click bait…”
“They just want make money on your fears…”

Constant attacking of the messenger, but very little of actually refuting what they are reporting.
 
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FiveLinden said:
It is best understood as a business. By this I don’t mean that it exists simply to make money. What I mean is that if it does not make money it won’t exist. So It has developed an emphasis on stories that provoke emotional responses, repeat visits, and donations.
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As do most Catholic media outfits including EWTN, Crux, Catholic Herald, Catholic News Agency and dare I say it Catholic Answers with its big orange “Donate” button on the home page.
 
Well, not to dig up buried bones, but I think that there are tangible remnants of a certain prior life that surface from time to time. OK, every time, but still…

He seems to fancy himself the arbiter of orthodoxy. He seems to enjoy being the center of attention. He seems to seek after validation.

IOW, worthy of prayer.
 
JW55 said:
I think what we all really want is the “truth”. If we don’t have the truth, what do we have?
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Having more information does not equate to having more truth. The internet has been as much of a source for lies as it has for truth. Take the OP, for example, who spoke about when the Pope was wrong, meaning, when that poster disagreed with the Pope. That is all well and good, but if you find yourselves often at odds with the Pope, it is counter-productive to make those who support your view part of your source for information. That will only give confirmation of oneself, not truth.

CM does not do journalism. They do the same sort of internet research anyone else can do, mix it with calumny, gossip, and rash judgement to serve it to angry people as their business model.
 
pnewton said:
Having more information does not equate to having more truth. The internet has been as much of a source for lies as it has for truth.
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This is true. But sometimes the truth is not always revealed or is concealed by what we view as a trusted source. Some of the abuses that have occurred with children or young seminarians is an example of this, or the abuse of church monies. In my post I indicated that through information that is available from various sources it can potentially provide an opportunity to expose wrong doing. It is not an endorsement of all social media or something because it is on the internet. I am not saying that all such material is valid or good. Some is just plain exploitive. Some are blown out of proportion. There is obviously a line not to cross. Some things posted can also do as much harm as the wrong doing they are attempting to expose. Some things can just be slanderous and do harm to innocent parties or are just blown out of proportion. However, some are true. It is a tightrope to be walked with uncertainly at times.
 
pnewton said:
CM does not do journalism. They do the same sort of internet research anyone else can do, mix it with calumny, gossip, and rash judgement to serve it to angry people
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They are selling a psychological experience. In an age when so few go to confess and repent their own sins, tv and internet are filled with those who invite us to confess and repent the sins of others, real or media created.

They promote passivity.
 
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