As I have found that the reporting on this issue has been inaccurate and poor in terms of the facts, I am also writing out of a sense of duty to the truth.
The fact that I presided over this trial and have never once been contacted by any news organization for comment speaks for itself.
My intent in the following paragraphs is to accomplish the following:
To tell the back-story of what actually happened in the Father Murphy case on the local level;
To outline the sloppy and inaccurate reporting on the Father Murphy case by the New York Times and other media outlets;
To assert that Pope Benedict XVI has done more than any other pope or bishop in history to rid the Catholic Church of the scourge of child sexual abuse and provide for those who have been injured;
To set the record straight with regards to the efforts made by the church to heal the wounds caused by clergy sexual misconduct. The Catholic Church is probably the safest place for children at this point in history.
Read it all (Hat tip: WJT).
Wow. Just … wow.
Does anyone in the MSM get schooled in journalistic ethics anymore?
Unfortunately, this whole story being spun by the media has little to do with journalism, ethics, or a desire to protect children.
It is all about smearing and marginalizing the Pope and the Catholic Church, and by extension, Catholic Christians and Christians in general.
One reason the MSM is a party to so many smears and falsehoods is that reporters covering religion, politics, the military, police, business have virtually no background in the areas they cover. All that they bring to the table for the most part is a useless (as far as giving a grounding in the subjects they cover) degree in journalism. Combine their ignorance on the subject they are covering with the MSM’s well-known cynicism on all topics and disdain for religion and you get a recipe for massive smear jobs whether it is what the Times did to John McCain or what it is doing to Catholics and the pope.
The Church is making tremendous procedural changes to make sure there is a just end to the bad priest problem. Is the media doing anything to cure its endemic flaw of being a cynical smear machine???
#1 – No
#2 – ya think?
#3 – your are generous to the media, which, in my view, operate from a narrow secularist view. They are, in other words, pushing their religious viewpoint and are threatened by Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church in particularly.
Seriously, thank you three for your comments. I’ve signed onto this board after reading some really hate-filled comments that, in my opinion, needed an answer. Your comments are a sweet respite.
“The fact that I presided over this trial and have never once been contacted by any news organization for comment speaks for itself.”
Indeed.
#5, subscribe
I want to personally thank Kendall Harmon for posting this extraordinary article. Fr. Brundage is clear as to the facts; principled in his response to child abuse; and appreciative of the ways that Cardinal Ratzinger/BXVI confronted the crisis. In my judgment, the crisis does cut to the heart of the institutional culture of the Catholic Church. However, the MSM reporting is fatally flawed by an arrogant and complacent vindictiveness that is transparently trying to bring two of the great leaders of our time (and a great institution) “down to our level”, so to speak. The complete lack of understanding of celibacy as a vocation, and of the many holy men and women who answered that call (my guess, Fr. Brundage is one of them), is matched only by the complete lack of understanding of marriage as a vocation.
Also, Jimmy Akin outlines the timeline here as well – http://www.ncregister.com/blog/cardinal/
I think it is the correct analysis of what’s going on:
“Satan behind media attacks on the Pope, asserts Italian exorcist”
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/satan_behind_media_attacks_on_the_pope_asserts_italian_exorcist/
Sorry, I means to say “this” rather than “it.”
Human malice is quite enough to explain the current situation. The devil is certainly cheering it on, but I’m not sure we need him to understand what’s going on.