Open Season on the Catholic Church

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/brentbozell/bb20020403.shtml ^ | 4/3/02 | Brent Bozell

[Caleb1411]

With all due respect. The Church through it's agents (Managers) has conspired to suppress information and obstruct justice.

This is more like Enron that you might think.

There have indeed been some shameful and sinful coverups. But the media, as is their wont, pile on and indict Catholicism for every media-determined "sin": e.g., not being sufficiently "broad-minded" about abortion.

See the link in post 19 for a more evenhanded, biblical look at the larger problem in Christendom itself.

[ellery]

Of course, it's ridiculous to criticize any church because it is not structured like the US government. The latter taxes us against our will -- hence must be set up to allow us to (very nominally) manage it. Churches in this country are organizations that people contribute to voluntarily, so they can organize their hierarchy as they please.

That doesn't give them permission to break laws, though. The level of not only abuse, but failure by church leaders to disclose abuse to the authorities, has been appalling.

[waxhaw]

Eleanor Clift may rant and rave all she wants, as can mainstream media and the rest of the bolsheviks. The Church, the bride of Christ, is ETERNAL. (You would think they might have realized this since it has been around now for almost 2,000 years and has survived every political system, every war, and every dictator in that brief time.) Let them rant - when they get done they'll find their target is stronger than it was before.

[Caleb1411]

That doesn't give them permission to break laws, though. The level of not only abuse, but failure by church leaders to disclose abuse to the authorities, has been appalling.

Amen to that. Check the WORLD magazine link in #19 for another forthright look at the problem in other churches.

[Caleb1411]

BTTT, Dan.

[Dirk McQuickly]

The problem with non-Catholics (and non-practicing Catholics) is the theological disconnect they frequently share. The Church is defined by what makes it unique -- the Sacraments, the unbroken line of popes (from St. Peter onward), and its infallibility in matters of faith and morals. Regardless of what Eleanor Clift and her ilk feverishly hurl at their elitest constituency, I can guarantee you it matters not to Rome. And it matters even less to God, who has seen all from time immortal, and knows the outcome of this scandal -- the answer which He entrusted to His only Son when He promised the Church would not fall before the gates of Hell.

[schmootman]

I think that most of the Catholics know what is going on in the media. I have known from day 1. It is total anti-Catholic bigotry.

The thing that gives them away is the fact that they do not discuss any other religion or organization.

For example, last week all the networks were headlining their news with "two Catholic priests involved in internet child pornography ring."

Well, it ends up that there were eight clergymen arrested, including two Catholic priests. Do non-Catholic clergy get a free pass on child pornography?

[Richard Kimball]

The real problem with the current scandals of the Catholic Church is that it undermines the authority of the Church to speak out on issues that are most important.

The next big move in sexual deviancy will be the legitimization of adult-child sex. The standard patterns have already emerged, such as psychologists writing papers saying it's not that bad, etc. Soon, there will be articles appearing about how Greek philosophers used to take young boys under their wing and raise and educate them. Following that, expect more movies like "Manhattan", with an adult/high school/child romance involved.

While the scandals in the Church are deplorable on their own, the media making hay with them is part of a calculated ploy to blunt the ability of the Church to address this issue. I fear it will work.

[chatham]

There is a story on www.theamericanprowler.org website by George Neumayr and the title is "Let us Prey".

The Catholic Church doesn't need many more stories like this to create irreparable harm to itself.

Most of the criticism is deserved and most catholics are in deep denial and I can't blame them.

[ellery]

That WORLD magazine article is VERY interesting -- great catch, and thanks for sharing it.

[mad_as_he$$]

You are on target but we all know that the "media" goes into feeding frenzys over just about any subject at times. This is one reason that I have held the postion that we need to stick together no matter who's ox is being gored this week.

"When they came for me no one was left....."

[bray]

Amazing how the Catholics always stand quietly as us fundamentalist protestants get gored by the press?? This is exactly why they should stand for their fellow Christians rather than playing pile on. Someday they may realize that Christian bashing is Christian bashing!

Pray for GW and the Truth

[SamAdams76]

Substitute "The Catholic Church" for "Bill Clinton" and you will plainly see just how hypocritical some of us here are. Remember how the Clinton defenders used to accuse us of being on a vendetta against him?

Bill Clinton had scandal after scandal but he would never address them directly. Instead, he and his media pit pulls would dissemble and prevaricate and create the impression that we nasty conservatives were just out to get him. "It's Open Season on Bill Clinton," these flacks and lackeys would proclaim on all those news shows, "It's a vast right wing conspiracy to unseat the president."

Well here we are with the Catholic Church who have a huge problem with homosexual priests abusing and sexually molesting children. Instead of taking responsibility, assigning blame and booting out the bad apples, including the cardinals who not only allowed it to happen but shuffled the priests off to other parishes, the apologists for the Catholic Church have decided to circle the wagons, stonewall and accuse those who would have a problem with what the Church has done of being "on a vendetta to destroy the church."

Sounds like the Catholic Church has inherited Bill Clinton's playbook. And many of us here are just playing along.

[Terriergal]

"Pope John Paul II (has) named virtually every bishop in America. All of this pope's appointees are ideologically conservative.

Oh geez. That's like saying "all of this pope's appointees are religiously Catholic." What a moron!

I can't believe she actually thought that was a worthwhile point to make.

[Terriergal]

Newsweek's Eleanor Clift has penned a piece on the magazine's Web site that demonstrates just how impossibly incoherent some can be when they choose to comment on a subject about which they know so little.

I have run into so many of those kinds... it's tragic. That is a great line btw!

[jrherreid]

Sounds like the Catholic Church has inherited Bill Clinton's playbook. And many of us here are just playing along.

Not exactly. If people had been using the Clinton scandals to codemn the office of the President and declare that the US Government should no longer be allowed to operate, and that the constitution should be abolished, then it would be the same.

[Terriergal]

Attention, Catholics: We had it all wrong. What Jesus Christ meant was, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church -- until the Internet comes along, at which point never mind."

LOL!

[SamAdams76]

Who's saying all of that? I just want to church to clean up its act and I want all the homosexual priests who molested children to be thrown into jail. Instead, the church is stonewalling and still trying to protect the priests who have broken our laws and abused our children.

[uncbob]

Amazing how the Catholics always stand quietly as us fundamentalist protestants get gored by the press?? This is exactly why they should stand for their fellow Christians rather than playing pile on. Someday they may realize that Christian bashing is Christian bashing!

EXACTLY

It ain't just Catholics. It is any religion that goes against their left wing bent
And add the movies to the mix
Fundalmentalists are always portrayed as Bible Thumping WACK JOBS .
And Nuns are used as comedy subjects etc etc

BOTH groups have no one to blame but themselves .
Catholics have sat back and taken it for years as have the Fundamentalists

That was one of the first clues I had that the hierarchy in the USA was worthless. They were afraid to defend their own faith from attack
The second was their failure to castigate Catholic legislators who pushed abortion and the homosexual agenda. Then their favoring the socialist drift of the country and that was it.
Current scandals are only the symptom of the basic problem

[jrherreid]

Who's saying all of that? I just want to church to clean up its act and I want all the homosexual priests who molested children to be thrown into jail. Instead, the church is stonewalling and still trying to protect the priests who have broken our laws and abused our children.

I'd like to see these guys in jail, too. But many in the media are using this scandal to condemn Catholic moral teaching, the papacy, the priesthood and just Catholicism in general. As Bozell pointed out.