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Posted on 09/25/2010 2:07:56 PM PDT by Salvation
By Phil Lawler | September 24, 2010 3:46 PM
This weekend the CNN television network will air a special report, “What the Pope Knew.” The goal of the show, apparently, is to persuade viewers the Pope Benedict XVI bears much of the blame for the sex-abuse scandal. If that requires massaging the facts and covering up inconvenient evidence, CNN is prepared to take those steps.
The CNN special concentrates on the case of the late Father Lawrence Murphy, a Milwaukee priest who was the target of multiple abuse complaints. In March of this year the New York Times gave the Murphy case front-page treatment, and charged that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had stymied a bid by the Milwaukee archdiocese to laicize the accused priest. That charge was based on a series of misunderstandings: about the case, about the duty of the Milwaukee archdiocese, about the Vatican’s authority, and about the priest’s due-process rights under the Code of Canon Law. As I wrote at the time, a proper understanding of the story would have led the Times to understand that Cardinal Ratzinger was not at fault:
This is a story about the abject failure of the Milwaukee archdiocese to discipline a dangerous priest, and the tardy effort by Archbishop Weakland--who would soon become the subject of a major scandal himself--to shift responsibility to Rome.
Eventually the misunderstandings in the Times story were cleared up, objective reporters recognized that the Murphy case was in no way a “smoking gun” demonstrating the Pope’s culpability, and the story slipped into the background. But now, six months later, CNN is resurrecting the same charges that the Times story made—without bothering to mention that the charges have been discredited.
The CNN report not only repeats the errors of the Times story, but ignores the powerful rebuttals that followed. Is this a question of journalistic incompetence, or something worse? Matthew Balan of Newsbusters inclines to the latter explanation, charging that the CNN show “left out key information in order to paint Benedict XVI in the worst possible light.”
"How exactly does CNN have so little journalistic integrity that it can repeat inaccuracies that were widely debunked seven months ago, and for which there is clear, incontrovertible documentary evidence?” ask Greg Erlandson and Matthew Bunson, the co-authors of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis. It’s an unanswerable question.
In addition to the Murphy case, CNN has also unearthed the similar case of an Illinois priest who was convicted of sexual abuse. CNN contacted one of the priest’s victims, and “told him about a letter signed by the pontiff—then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—refusing to defrock the pedophile priest.”
What Cardinal Ratzinger actually said, in a letter to the bishop responsible for the case, was that the abusive priest could not be laicized without a trial. Under the terms of canon law, the accused priest had the right to defend himself against the charges. The Springfield diocese could bring charges against him, just as the Milwaukee archdiocese could have brought charges against Murphy. But the bishops supervising these cases should have handled the matters themselves, rather than shuffling the cases off to Rome for a solution.
Ironically these two cases cited by CNN —one from Milwaukee, one from Springfield-- have something else in common. Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee and Bishop Daniel Ryan of Springfield both resigned after having been credibly accused of sexual abuse. In the headlong effort to indict the Pope, CNN is in effect relying on the testimony of two bishops whose own credibility has been gravely damaged by the sex-abuse crisis.
Did the Pope Cover Up Abuse? No! (The truth about the Murphy Case) [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus Ping!
CNN hates this country, CNN hates the Holy Father. There is nothing new here, just the same old falsehoods endlessly repeated.
Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Mercy.
Thanks, I forgot about that one.
What does CNN know?
Not much, that’s for sure.
Ted Turner is a virulent anti-Catholic. He’s left his imprint on the network.
**Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Mercy.**
Amen!
Quest, 46, was arrested at around 3:40 a.m. after a cop spotted him and another man inside the park near 64th Street, a police source said.
And as I recall, he's really got it in for the Catholic Church. More so than for any other religion. So his 'baby', CNN, doing a hit piece on the Pope isn't a surprise.
Not to worry, folks.
Nobody watches CNN anymore.
Am watching this program now. Interesting...concerned the Popes signiture seems to have authorized movement of these Priests and that he was aware.
It was stated...”The Pope was not the villin...but neither has he been the hero....He was simply a part of the system in the Catholic church. He could have taken decissive action rather than dragging his feet.” It does seem the Church naturally wanted to avoid any scandel....most would. But it appears this certainly went on too long.
It does appear Benedict approached Pope Paul with his great frustrations about dealing with the pedophile Priests and the Cannon laws which were in the way of doing what he wanted to do about it all. Pope Paul gave Benedict the authority to pursue these cases....and he did just that...once he could side step the cannon laws.
So it does appear Benedict did indeed move as he could to address these Priests within the legalities of the Church he could operate in.
From the program it also appears these cannon laws have been changed so that action can be taken within the church now, so that there will no longer be a cover to these Priests.
I did not find this program to be offensive to those of the Catholic faith, it is pretty apparent Benedict did much behind the news media to change things so that they might be able to deal directly with these problems...how be it taking much time to get to that place.
Further it appears the Bishops themselves did much of the “cover-up” and with that in mind they should indeed bare their part of the responsibility, which allowed further children to be abused. So they are far more guilty than the Pope.
This is my take based on the program.
the clinton, castro, communist news network? I’m not surprised here. One of the reasons why their ratings keep going down.
and I bet ted turner is not catholic, need I say more?
CNN can’t report the truth. All they know how to do is dig for dirt and make up a story for ratings. If they besmirch any Christian organization in the process, that’s a BONUS.
They told us Iraq was a model country where the people were happy and thriving, when they KNEW what was really going on. They tried to make an evil regime look a rose garden. Even after they were caught in and admitted those lies, people still believe them.
The truth is so .......... inconvenient.
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