A nasty anti-Catholic cartoon published by Harper's Weekly on May 8, 1875.THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It has been said that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. Of this every Catholic can be sure, because never in recent memory has it been so plainly on display in the mainstream news media's coverage of the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
Though such scandal is unacceptable for any religious institution, it is nevertheless a statistical FACT that this type of scandal is no more prevalent in the Catholic Church than in any other Christian denomination. Nor is it any more prevalent in Christianity than in any other religion. In fact, the truth be told, statistical evidence clearly indicates that sexual abuse and cover up is exponentially higher in non-religious institutions, particularly those run by government programs. In the United States alone, an independent government survey of it's own public school system revealed that public school children are over 100 times more likely to be molested by a school employee, before they graduate high school, than a Catholic child is likely to be molested within the Catholic Church. This is more than a shocking statistic. It's an indictment! So that being the case, does the mainstream news media give at least 100 times more press coverage to the greater scandal within America's public schools? No. Of course not. That type of bad press is reserved exclusively for the Catholic Church.
The latest target of this media smear is none other than the pope himself - Benedict XVI - formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The records tell the actual story and the press tells another. The records indicate that at least one official within the Vatican (Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos) did apparently encourage cover up of sexual scandal, or at least it would seem that way. However, they also indicate that no prelate was more active in uprooting this kind of corruption than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Ratzinger was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (or "CDF") in 1981. Though he was given only limited authority over issues related to sexual abuse, Ratzinger went to work exploiting every ounce of the limited power he was given. As a result, within 20 years, he was able to reduce the occurrence of sexual abuse within the Church down to pre-1950 levels. This was done during a time when sexual abuse of minors was increasing in non-religious (secular) society. That's quite an accomplishment for a man with limited power over this issue. In fact the late Pope John Paul II was so pleased with the results, that in 2001 he transferred full authority to defrock abusive priest away from Cardinal Hoyos over to Cardinal Ratzinger.
In spite of this overwhelming evidence, not only clearing Ratzinger of any blame, but actually demonstrating he was a hero in fighting sexual abuse, the media instead focuses it's attack on him like a laser beam. Why is this? Well, it's simple really, and it's nothing personal against Ratzinger. You see the mainstream news media is run by anti-Catholics. These are liberal Secularists, Atheists, non-practicing Jews and lapsed Catholics who have always had an ax to grind against the Vatican for it's strong stand against homosexuality and abortion - the two "sacraments" of modern liberalism.
Their unwarranted attack against this pope is predictable. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. That's how the strategy works - right? While they try to cloak their intolerant hatred in the veneer of "non-biased objective" reporting, we have to remember that their bias is not detected so much in what they say, but in what they don't say. Important pieces of the story are intentionally left out. The information that lands on the cutting room floor in news media outlets around the world (particularly in English-speaking countries) is what would exonerate the pope and turn him into a hero. This is the news that will NEVER be reported because it doesn't fit the anti-Catholic template of those who run our major news outlets. Occasionally however, their true anti-Catholic feelings are leaked to the public, usually in the form of op-ed articles that the general editor approves for print. From these we can get a glimpse of what's really going on in the minds of those who report the news to us...
(ABC) -- No-one has yet suggested bombing the Vatican and pursuing the Pope through the sewers of Europe till he is caught and riddled with bullets in order to stop priests buggering choirboys in Boston, Chicago, Dublin and Sydney...Now unlike many mainstream media news outlets, The Catholic Knight will cite the context of this excerpt. The article itself is an anti-war piece. It's an attack on the way the west battles terrorism. However, in the article, the author reveals a little about himself and those he associates with in the mainstream news media. From this article we learn that they make no distinction between Pope Benedict XVI and Osama Bin Laden. From this we learn that they make no distinction between a man who fights to stop sexual abuse, and a man who plots the bombing of innocent people. From this we learn that the media has been lying so much that it's actually starting to believe it's own lies about the pope, but it's nothing personal you see. It's all just business. The mainstream news media is in the business of attacking and tearing down anything that is good and wholesome, particularly religion, and the Catholic Church you see just happens to be the largest target. To destroy the Church they must first destroy it's shepherd, and that my friends is the ONLY thing that explains their blatant disregard for the facts in their unrelenting attack against the Holy Father. This isn't the first time the American press has displayed a blatant hostility toward the Catholic Church. It's been going on for nearly two centuries. Yes it's true, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Anti-Catholicism truly is the last remaining acceptable prejudice, especially in the mainstream news media.
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A nasty anti-Catholic cartoon published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on February 21, 2010
11 comments; post here:
Sir Knight, you forgot to include the Protestants in your list of those who have an ax to grind against the Church. After all, all this hatred these other groups have for us had to come from somewhere. The Protestants were the only anti-Catholic group in this country from the start. These other groups would not have had the courage to attack the Church unless they knew the mainstream of religious thought would approve. Sadly, most Protestant churches have lost whatever Christian faith they had, but they still have their anti-Catholic bigotry.
Yes, and I forgot to mention the FREEMASONS too.
Fortunately though, the bulk of anti-Catholicism among Protestants is dying down. The traditional Fundamentalist Bible thumpers are being relegated to the extreme and I'm taking note of a lot more openness among Evangelicals these days. As for the liberal Protestants, well, they're liberals before they are protestants so that says something right there. Of course I notice that a good number of the men in these churches are freemasons too, so I suppose that says something as well.
Sir Knight, I hate to be a cynic, bt I don't think the current "openess" among the evangelicals will last. When they realize their birthrate is shrinking and ours is growing, especially among people of Spanish descent, I think it's a given they will react just like their ancestors did. They may not be like the extreme Bob Jonesy fundies now, but when they realize they stand the chance of becoming a minority in America, I think they will revert to their traditional anti-Catholic hate and bigotry to 'save' their religion and culture. I hope I'm proven wrong, but deep down in my heart, I don't believe I will be.
Did Catholic readers demand and apology for that atrocious Philly Inquirer editorial cartoon?
umm. the cartoon is valid. the coverup turned out to be true.
I'm glad the Washington Post did an article on the 5 myths of the sex scandal. One of the myths was that the press coverage was unfair. The post thought it was fair, but the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in general receives a lot of media attention because of how big they are.
I'm going to be honest here I think we are shooting the messenger. We have problems in our church. The biggest of them is non-disclosure and pretending problems don't exist.
Mr Knight, the list goes on and on. You could include the anti-catholics in the US government who put into law those things which the church condemns: contraception, abortion, "gay marriage" all being legal in various ways. The US has been anti-catholic since its inception. Pete Frey
Anonymous, I don't think we are "shooting the messenger" here because none of us has a problem wih them reporting this news in and of itself. The problem comes in three ways, which displays a clear anti-Catholic intent.
1. The reporting is significantly disproportionate. While the exact same type of scandal is the exact same size in other religions, the press is virtually silent on it. While the exact same type of scandal is over 100 times prevelant in public schools, the press is virtually silent on it. All the bad press is reserved exclusively for the Catholic Church and there is no excuse for this.
2. There is a blatant disregard for the facts when it comes to reporting the size and nature of the abuse and who exactly was known to be involved in cover up. To pin this thing on Pope Benedict, while having zero evidence, is a clear example of slander, and their continued attempts to stretch the stories in any way to reach out and touch Benedict clearly shows they're intent to slander and willingness to do whatever it takes.
3. Their op-ed articles, combined with their offensive cartoons (which are not true by the way), combined with their occasional flipped remarks while "reporting the news" reinforces their bigotry. Substitute the word "Jew" for Catholic and see how well that goes over. The charges of anti- Semitism would be coming out of the woodwork. Clearly the mainstream news media is attempting to incite violence and hate crimes against Catholics. It won't be long before they are successful.
If the news media wants to redeem their reputation they can do so in three ways. 1. Report Catholic sex scandal proportionally to sex scandal in other religions and secular institutions such as publi schools. 2. Be careful with the facts, report actual statistics, and stop slandering high ranking officials within the Church without significant evidence to support their accusations. 3. Stop the hatred in political cartoons and op-eds. There is a way to express your opinion without offending every single person in a particular demographic. These newspapers would not dare publish similar cartoons and op-eds about Jews or even Muslims. Why are Catholics fair game? Sorry there is nothing about that that is news or beneficial to society.
Hello everyone. I commented in the post below this one but I'm repeating the bulk of the comment because the CDF is mentioned. That second link is highly important to people who criticize there isn't good policy in place.
"My Canadian Catholic newspaper, the Catholic Register, featured an editorial in this week's paper. On P. 19, an author has discussed her strategy on defending our beloved Church from those accusers that would even include our supposed friends and family. Please read the article at http://www.catholicregister.org/guest-analysis/4097-blametheabuser
Also the back of the newspaper released a link on the Vatican's website that links to the steps that are currently in place if sex abuse in encountered in the Church. Make sure you print, copy memorize this link for those naysayers who say the Church does nothing or has no strict policy in place":
http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_guide-CDF-procedures_en.html
Sadly, Sir Knight is correct that if media coverage targeted the Jews and the Muslims, there'd be a firestorm counter-attack on the Main Stream Media (MSM). In my country there's even an additional layer of bias against Catholics and conservatives in the form of the dreaded Canadian Human Rights Councils in provinces that seemingly wield as much power as courts and can ruin lives. They rarely side with Catholics or conservatives on issues that violate "human rights"/Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (Thanks Pierre Elliot Trudeau you liberal!).
My OPINION (and not reserached fact) on why no one is outraged when we Catholics get smeared is because of three points 1) We often don't choose to go lawyer crazy and sue the pants off offending parties unlike the other monotheistic religions. We also don't have very many councils or organizations defending Catholic rights, unlike the other monotheistic religions. 2) Perhaps we Catholics have misinterpreted that "turn the other cheek" passage in the Bible for total pacificism. 3) The weak or missing efforts of Catholic educators in the majority of schools (some exceptions might be found in private Catholic schools) to instill PROPER, Vatican approved cathechesis and moral theology in separate/Catholic education and more importantly, for TEACHERS to inspire in those students and their families THE RESOLVE TO CARRY OUT THE VALUES AND RULES IN THE CATHECHISM AND VATICAN MORAL THEOLOGY IN ACTION AND TO BE COURAGEOUS AND HARDENED APOLOGISTS FOR OUR FAITH. I also include parents as needing education because for some odd reason, common sense and respect for religion ended with them and produced a generation (mine)of more anti-religious atheists/agnostics/apathetics or CNE (Xmas and Easter) Catholics.
Sir Knight, as a daily reader of the Philly "Stinkquirer" I can tell you that the number of letters they received was HUGE, although only 1 or 2 were printed. There was an earlier cartoon showing a group of priests saying mass hovering over some altar boys with the caption "Let us prey". That and the current cartoon do not relay factual news but a slanted, biased and hate filled mocking of the church and its biblically based statements. (Upon this rock...) And your other commentators are correct, say a bad word about muslims (or jews) and immediately charges will be levelled of anti-islam etc. The reason why catholics tend to be mute is not so much a "turn the other cheek" attitude, but 1) ignorance of the situation 2) indifference to it or 3) many "catholics" believe the worst about their own church. Finally, I dont think we can count on "fundies" as allies--- their disdain for "romanism" runs deep, and many still hold to the "statue worshipping, Mary deifying, unbibical teachings" etc. Pete Frey
Pete Frey
Thank you for your input and response. As always, it's good to see your insight on TCK. It seems your three reasons or I's: Indifference, Ignorance and Incited confusion (okay there wasn't an I for your third reason and I extrapolated a bit to make it fit, I hope you are okay with that? And the MSM does purposefully want to incite us to follow their slant on things,) are more on the mark as to why.
However, I do still strongly feel that my opinions of 1 and 3 should also be considered. As for 1 how many cases on your local news or in other forms of media do you see a Catholic seeking legal action against party(ies) X for actions against their religion? None? As for 3) just as an experiment I would like you to ask your children if you have any in high school or your family or friends' kids whether they know what Humanae Vitae is or if they know what the basic obligations with regard to mass are FROM SCHOOL? Do they even know that we have a Catechism which is the concrete summary of our fundamental beliefs??? Do they even have one??? If the answers aren't yes, the evidence speaks for itself.
I was fortunate to attend a private Roman Catholic school that did teach me or at least made me aware of these things through a Gr. 12 Moral theology class (E.g. topics: Natural law, vices and virtues and the seven deadly sins, the Church's stance on abortion, euthanasia and an introduction to encyclicals and documents via a major paper where you had to take the Church's position on the matter.) But having been through that, it leaves me thinking, If this is at a private school, what are the general separate Catholic schools teaching and what they are not? http://carfleo.org/GradeTwelveUCLinks.htm seems to be the closest I've found to the regular Separate/Catholic high school curricula and it lacks a number of things, and might even have a bit of controversy in these links, just by examining the content. e.g. A link to the David Suzuki foundation.He's pro-climate change to a radical stance, and he tends to lean on the side of liberal politics (aka not compatible with Catholic teaching) because conservative poilitics tends not to support climate change.
Since parents these days seem to be lacking in teaching children their faith, then shouldn't the schools be stepping up and teaching these basics I mentioned from my Gr. 12 course?
Finally, there are efforts being made within the Chruch to try and combat this ignorance and indiffernece. My Archbishop of Toronto, Rev. Thomas Collins, just released this pastoral statement which addresses our current sex abuse crisis. He also states what our archdiocese is doing to address the crisis. This pastoral statement was to be read by all priests during the homilies of all their masses this sunday. I can only hope in other parishes the priests did their job. Here is the link to the text of the letter and a video reading of it on YouTube:
http://www.archtoronto.org/pdf/abuse-april10eng.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2NlV-BFAqU&feature=player_embedded#!
Everyone on this blog you might want to subscribe to his channel if you are signed in on youtube.
Youn Canadian, thanks for your comments, and yes i agree that your statements have much to do with the current crisis. No disagreement at all. Pete Frey
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