Posted on 04/06/2005 11:41:37 AM PDT by Cableguy
In the hours and days after the Pope's death, there was some discussion in the Corner and on other blogs about CNN's coverage.
After reading Jonathan Last's comment, I went back through the transcripts and found some of the remarks that raised some eyebrows. Some of CNN's greatest hits:
From Transcript One:
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this is a pope who — and we'll be talking about his legacy, his doctrine, is theology, for days to come, but no matter what people thought about it, and no matter the fact that in many parts of the world, particularly the developed world, the church, the congregation was beginning to dwindle, somehow people's personal connection and people's personal admiration for him transcended, perhaps, some of their unease with the more doctrinaire, orthodox theology that he prescribed for Catholics around the world and that many Catholics felt that they simply could not practice in today's modern world and caused many Catholics to follow their own conscience instead of his. Let's go back to Aaron for a moment, now.
From Transcript Two:
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So he has been very much devoted, and as I say, people have grown up with him as their symbol of morality, even though many people in the Catholic church don't particularly adhere or practice his very doctrinaire, very orthodox version of Catholicism...
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lots of those kind of stories and anecdotes and moments that people are recalling right now about personal ways in which the pope has touched them. And, you know, people knowing that there are lots of controversies in the Catholic Church.There are many reasons why many Catholics feel that they cannot strictly follow the doctrinal teachings of this particular pope and yet people, many of them, want to love their faith.
And they certainly have said to us that even though they may have disagreed with some of his more orthodox teachings, some of the more conservative teachings, some of the teachings that perhaps didn't quite fit today's church, today's faithful that he is a man nonetheless who was somebody special, somebody they admired for his courage, for his moral stature, for what he did, you know, of course, back when it even came to the collapse of communism and his central role in the collapse of communism in his native Poland.
So, people do admire him and people say that, you know, there weren't that many moral leaders and there aren't that many moral leaders in this world. And, again, you know, many people have been hurt terribly by the pedophilia scandals in the Catholic Church, by the notion that the pope will not allow the use of condoms, for instance, even to stop the spread of deadly diseases, such as AIDS, by the notion that women are disenfranchised from the highest honors of the Catholic Church being ordained.
Even then they say that nonetheless for some reason they had an affection for this man.
From Transcript Three:
AMANPOUR: Well, Anderson, one is so struck by the seeming contradictions of this pope. I was just looking at the pictures of the pope on the air, while Paula was speaking and you and John were speaking...A pope who embraced AIDS victims and who went to Africa and talked to them, and there are pictures of him being embraced by young AIDS victims, and yet who refused to sanction the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS.
COOPER: Yes, that is certainly true. I mean it should be said, especially on the HIV/AIDS front, this pope has come under continued criticism for refusing to permit the use of condoms, even in places where HIV is just an epidemic and a pandemic, in sub-Saharan Africa, this pope continuing to stand by the readings of the Catholic faith in which condoms are just simply not allowed as a form of contraception.There have been some Catholics who have said, some Catholic leaders who have asked that perhaps the condoms should be allowed to be used just to prevent the spread of HIV, but the Catholic Church, very standing, very fast on this subject Christiane.
AMANPOUR: Indeed and of course, he did also with that contradiction, nonetheless he would embrace the victims of AIDS. But as you say, would not sanction one way of preventing the spread of that deadly disease. The fact that he was a man in many ways of contradictions, a man who so vehemently was against war for instance, the Iraq war two years ago and yet believed in a just war, for instance the intervention to stop genocide in the Balkans. I think that he was a man of some contradictions, a man of some controversy, a man who some Catholics found it was simply too difficult to adhere to his particular doctrine. And yet he was a man whose personal, moral stature and personal sense of clarity and conviction caused so much admiration among so many people around the world.
From Transcript Four:
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And he was really a symbol for so many of these people. And particularly young people. And it is strange, as so many of us have commented, that it's not just the elderly, the people who perhaps would be more likely to stick to the doctrine of the — and theology, particularly the conservative theology that he preached, but even young people, many of whom said they have been somewhat alienated by his strict teaching. They are the ones who came. And they're the ones who stuck by him as well.
From Transcript Five, an interesting sense of "contradiction" from Anderson "host of the Mole" Cooper:
COOPER: It's important to point out, too, I mean, we've heard a lot this evening in the last couple hours about how he was the first pope to visit a mosque, the first pope to visit a synagogue, to reach out to differing faiths.And yet, he also reaffirmed the Catholic belief that it is only — you can only reach salvation through Jesus Christ, and only through the teachings of the Catholic Church.
GALLAGHER: Yes, absolutely. This document, Dominus Jesus that came out a few years ago and said just that, that salvation is through Jesus Christ, and was a very controversial document at the time because as you say, he was out — reaching out to other religions.
But I think that just goes to show that the pope was really a man of his convictions.
COOPER: And I mean, I guess, some people would see that as a contradiction. And yet, in his mind, it wasn't. That...
GALLAGHER: The two go together. Yes, the two can go together.
From Transcirpt Six:
COOPER: And our coverage continues now. I'm joined in New York by CNN's Paula Zahn, and also here in Rome, by CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.Christiane, you have been talking to people all evening long and one of the things that we have been talking about are the contradictions in this pope's life in his teachings. The contradictions both public and private.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, and yet, despite that he does remain a giant figure. All the people we have spoken to say despite some of those controversial positions, in terms of his doctrinal theology, that instituted under his papacy, despite some peoples' differences with that they nonetheless admired him as a person of great moral stature, of great charisma, a unique pope in terms of what he did with the papacy.
From Transcript Seven:
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Anderson. And as we touched on a moment ago with Paul Elie, despite enjoying almost rock star status, Pope John Paul's message on certain issues put him at odds with many of the faithful in this country. However, today, it wasn't the policies but the man who was remembered.
Special mention must be made of Paula Zahn's interview with Nancy Dallavalle, associate professor of religious studies at Fairfield University in Connecticut. Zahn's questions:
ZAHN: How do you view the pope's record on women during his papacy?ZAHN: When you had a poll back in 2002 and I recognize the poll, like American, the pope wasn't like American politicians at reading the polls, but that 75 percent of American Catholics wanted to see women ordained as priests. That didn't happen. Going forward, what will be the consequences of what you see as inaction on that issue?
ZAHN: I had a conversation with a nun earlier tonight that says, while she respects that the pope wrote this letter, basically acknowledging some of the sins of the church towards million, that, while she's that critical for him for not going forward in ordaining women right now, she was very upset that he didn't allow the debate to continue.
ZAHN: Raises the stakes incredibly. Obviously we don't know who this pope's successor will be but are you optimistic or pessimistic that this issue will change at all in this next papacy?
To their credit, CNN's hours and hours of coverage consisted of more than these odd and questionable comments... but it's hard to shake the feeling that the undercurrent of much of the coverage was "yes, everyone's mourning him, but let's not forget a lot of people disagreed with him!"
It hasn't dawned on the Intelligentsia that the reason the Church has not only been around for 2000 years, but has been successful for 2000 years, is because it doesn't "change with the times," especially not because of the exhortations of some blabbing know-nothings who aren't even MEMBERS of the Church....
These liberal morons do not see that opposing both AIDs and promiscuous sex is not a "contradiction," or that the World's religions are not their liberal playthings. They sure don't mind when the Church "opposes" a U.S. war effort, then there's no need for secularism. Liberals are such biased idiots.
And call me mistaken, but wasn't one of the more revolutionary things the Pope did his declaration that you needn't be Catholic--that perhaps the other denominations were all separate paths on the road to Christ (and that, essentially, we are all part of the Body of Christ, that He isn't just a big hand, or a foot, but is made of many different parts, all functioning as one body)...
I like the way Christiane (there's an irony!) tries to cast the historic teaching of the entire Church as "his" doctrine or theology. Like it was an innovation or his personal theory.
Reporters love conflict. No conflict, real or imagined, and they have nothing to talk about.
Bravo! The Catholic Church is not a democracy. The pope is responsible for conserving the deposit of faith as handed down by Jesus Christ to the Apostles. It doesn't adjust those truths to suit the season.
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I can't even watch the woman, she has such a condescending tone to her voice.
The Church only sanction sex between a man and women married to each other... not a very high AIDS risk group... so if someone is already going far outside Church sanction on there sex acts... why would that same person respect sanction the use of condoms
In for a penny in for a pound
Isn't she a muslim married to a Jew? How does that qualify her to criticize the Pope?
Though it is one of the oldest (still functioning) democratic organizations (of sorts)--the leader is elected by cardinals, cardinals can take into account the wishes of the other clergy, as well as the laity...
This is almost as patronizing as "What? ME, racist? But, some of my best friends are negroes!"
Shows you what I know.
:O)
They also leave out that the reason for the "contradiction" is that the Church has said all along that sex outside of marriage is destructive, with AIDS and abortion being among the consequences. They would listen to the Church if it said "abortion is OK" or "use condoms," but for some reason, when the Church says "sex is between a husband and wife, respect that, use it as God intended" they don't hear it...
I think Teddy Kennedy gave her lessons on the Catholic church.
BTW, there are plenty of jewish reporters and other non-catholics who have commented in an informed, intelligent way about the Pope and the Church.
Christine is not one of them.
I think Teddy Kennedy gave her lessons on the Catholic church.
BTW, there are plenty of jewish reporters and other non-catholics who have commented in an informed, intelligent way about the Pope and the Church.
Christine is not one of them.
You are, but it's a complex teaching.
The Pope's point was that the only way someone can have the full truth of Christ and receive the full grace of the sacraments is to be in union with the Catholic Church.
At the same time, those people who believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him as far as they are able are not excluded from Him even if they are not (or not yet, as he would say) Catholics.
His point is that if a Baptist gets to heaven it is not because he adheres to some specifically Baptist doctrine like the inefficacy of water baptism - that is a fault in him. What would win him salvation is a real faith in Jesus (and when Catholics say faith they do not mean a dry, academic belief or an emotional sentiment, but a total commitment of life) not a false disbelief in baptism.
Right! How dare he have convictions and stick to them!!!
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