I've been saying all along that the secular media's initial reporting on the sex abuse scandal and its cover-up in 2002 was basically good and did the Church a service. In an interview I did on radio in Augusta a year or so later, I reminded everyone that the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ and the gates of hell would not prevail against her. The Church would be reformed where needed by the Holy Spirit, right side up, upside down or sideways. And the Holy Spirit has not disappointed using the media as one of His tools.
But the coverage of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and the ongoing effects of this scandal in the last six months has been anything but helpful. Much of it old-recycled news reported as though it just happened. Have you noticed that by far, the majority of the cases being reported today that the actual abuse happened in the 1970's and earlier, sometimes fifty and sixty years ago. It is only now that the victims of this abuse from a half century ago have come forward and reported it. Often the priest accused has long since been dead. I have mixed emotions about accusing dead people who can't defend themselves and current bishops who inherited what their predecessor bishops handled poorly.
Of course the secular media never gives a context for how the Church handled things, reporting things with 20/20 hindsight and failing to remind readers that it wasn't until the 1970's and 80's with the advent of talk television and radio that subjects of sex abuse and incest were brought out into the open whether it occurred in the family, secular institutions or the Church. Everyone did their best to keep these taboo subjects quiet for the good of the innocent who didn't really want to hear about it. Even law enforcement would assist public school districts, the medical profession and churches and synagogues in helping to keep stories of their errant professionals off the front page of the newspaper, for the common good, it was thought.
And Any rate, Phil Lawler has a very good analysis on the most recent secular press reporting on this scandal that just won't go away. You can read it HERE.
3 comments:
There is a magazine called the Trumpet that comes to my office. It goes straight into the trash can without being read.
But this month something told me to glance through it.
Kind of wish I hadn't, because what I read was such horrilble lies.
It accused the Catholic Church of masterminding the economic collapse of Europe, nameing specifically Greece's troubles, so as to regain political power over Europe.
Apparently I just hadn't seen so much outright overt anti-Catholic rhetoric before.
I'm ashamed to even mention it because I don't want to inadvertently give it credence by doing so.
At best, the media doles out dirt against the Catholic Church because scandal sells and they are simply trying to make a buck, albeit at the expense of complete truth and full disclosure.
At worst, the media is actually trying to do genuine harm to damage the Catholic Church.
Most likely, some of both is actually happening because each article or 'story' has the intention of the individuals who authored or created the particular article or story or the intention of the supervisor or organization they work for.
Regardless, not to worry. Since the motivation is ultimately their own SELF interests, and since they continue to view Catholics as 'them' it will never amount to anything more than a little scratch.
And none of them are any match for Pope Benedict XVI.
Ack!! The Trumpter? That's put out by a whack job paster from one of those Protestant Mega-Chruches. The name of which escapes me, but the Pastor's name is Gerald Flurry I think. If you control what comes into your office you need to turn the subscription off on that one. Bleck!!
On the subject at hand; I've said before that I don't think many people get their news from the MSM anymore, and those that still read and watch them are for the most part on to their bias. They are bordering on irrelevancy.
"Keeping the secular media honest...." What a silly concept. LOL!
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