The State of the Catholic Press
OK, it's time for everyone to wade into debate.
My friend Nancy posted this piece by Ray Schroth, a study of diocesan papers and how wacky they are -- proof that the church, indeed, remains a parallel universe detached from the modern world... at least in the U.S.
So, my question to all of you is, what should the model for Catholic press be?
NCR? America? The Register (owned by the Legionaries, God help us)? No.
The best example of a solid, sane Catholic paper is L'Osservatore Romano. It acknowledges the intelligence of its audience and respects its readers enough to present stories objectively and completely, without sanctimonious nonsense. It is not owned by renegade, heterodox goddess-worshipers, unless one would dare say that description fits Benedict XVI.
If the Pope strays from the demands of his hostage-takers again, they might well start screaming that very lie.... So much for fidelity and orthodoxy.
Unfortunately, Schroth didn't get a copy of the ultimate clericalist quarterly -- Philadelphia's Catholic Standard & Times. If he did, so Philadelphia ecclesiastical theory goes, it would burn up in his hands and angels would beat him over the head with 2x4's. Because he would dare acknowledge that not every priest is a saint -- regardless of the Thursday night rituals in Center City -- Schroth, therefore, is of Satan, who wants to destroy the church... Of course, no allowance is made for the truth in Philly theory; we keep our Pharaoh in an airtight bubble of sycophants.
I've been saying these words of Schroth, quoting John Stuart Mill, for a long time:
Amen. Amen. And Amen. Read up!
-30-
My friend Nancy posted this piece by Ray Schroth, a study of diocesan papers and how wacky they are -- proof that the church, indeed, remains a parallel universe detached from the modern world... at least in the U.S.
So, my question to all of you is, what should the model for Catholic press be?
NCR? America? The Register (owned by the Legionaries, God help us)? No.
The best example of a solid, sane Catholic paper is L'Osservatore Romano. It acknowledges the intelligence of its audience and respects its readers enough to present stories objectively and completely, without sanctimonious nonsense. It is not owned by renegade, heterodox goddess-worshipers, unless one would dare say that description fits Benedict XVI.
If the Pope strays from the demands of his hostage-takers again, they might well start screaming that very lie.... So much for fidelity and orthodoxy.
Unfortunately, Schroth didn't get a copy of the ultimate clericalist quarterly -- Philadelphia's Catholic Standard & Times. If he did, so Philadelphia ecclesiastical theory goes, it would burn up in his hands and angels would beat him over the head with 2x4's. Because he would dare acknowledge that not every priest is a saint -- regardless of the Thursday night rituals in Center City -- Schroth, therefore, is of Satan, who wants to destroy the church... Of course, no allowance is made for the truth in Philly theory; we keep our Pharaoh in an airtight bubble of sycophants.
I've been saying these words of Schroth, quoting John Stuart Mill, for a long time:
"True ideas can survive only if tested by opposition. The truths of Christianity have dried up, become memorized and meaningless because the church will not test them in free debate."
Amen. Amen. And Amen. Read up!
-30-
posted by Rocco Palmo at 17:58
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