Recent News Highlights

Some recent news highlights...

* Copper thieves have left a "pretty big mess" at a Bluefield (WV) parish - removing water lines & fittings, and even tearing down ceiling tiles to get to copper pipes. Although an estimate was not immediately available, the damage was described as "extensive"

* A "new big-budget TV series" covering the life of "one of the most infamous of all pontiffs", Pope Alexander VI, is being filmed in Vancouver and is expected to air next year in the U.S. and Canada

* According to a Reuters report, the Salesians have admitted to paying 'hush money' to a Dutch abuse victim who has broken his silence, allegedly 'to obtain more money' from the order. The victim was allegedly abused repeatedly by seven priests, including a priest who would later become a bishop. The order reportedly "wants to look at the facts" concerning the allegations, some of which it considers unproven

* The director of the Scottish Catholic Media Office has lamented anti-Catholicism in Scotland, referring to a "deep, wide and vicious anti Catholic hostility" and an "intolerance" of Catholics. He also reported being "disturbed by the fact that in a country where over 99% of Catholic clergy are demonstrably innocent of any offence they can be so frequently subjected to hate fuelled opprobrium" and noted that "anti-Catholic bigotry has existed in Scotland for a very long time", even before abuse allegations had come to light

* In a recent CNA interview, the German journalist who interviewed Pope Benedict for a new book stated that "the idea that Joseph Ratzinger is a Pope who is conservative, harsh, too strict, a man who likes power" is a "misunderstanding" (he also said he considers Pope Benedict to be "a very modern man"). The journalist - who was quite complimentary regarding the Pope during the interview - responded that "I should say that we do not have a friendship" when asked if he considered himself a friend of the Holy Father. [Note: In full context, he seems to mean that his relationship with Pope Benedict is not on the level of a personal friendship, but is more along the lines of a business relationship]

[11/29]

NY Times Still Fanning the Flames

Despite being taken to task over recent "sloppy reporting", the NY Times' attempt to implicate Pope Benedict in abuse scandals was ratcheted up a level with a recent op-ed column titled "Should There Be an Inquisition for the Pope?" The article was filled with offensive comments, such as ...

* "It doesn’t seem right that the Catholic Church is spending Holy Week practicing the unholy art of spin."

* "The church gave up its credibility for Lent. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are now becoming Cover-Up Thursday and Blame-Others Friday."

* "This week of special confessions and penance services is unfolding as the pope resists pressure from Catholics around the globe for his own confession and penance about the cascade of child s*xual abuse cases that were ignored, even by a German diocese and Vatican office he ran. If church fund-raising and contributions dry up, Benedict’s P.R. handlers may yet have to stage a photo-op where he steps out of the priest’s side of the confessional and enters the side where the rest of his fallible flock goes. Or maybe 30-second spots defending the pope with Benedict’s voice intoning at the end: 'I am infallible, and I approve this message.'"

The paper's "sloppy reporting" of late has been criticized in various quarters, including by the presiding judge in the case of Fr. Murphy, who said he was never contacted by the paper regarding their coverage of the matter. As Damian Thompson remarked, "It’s pretty clear now that The New York Times has scr*wed up its coverage of Pope Benedict XVI and the child abuse scandals. In fact, I doubt it could have done a worse job if it had brought back Jayson Blair to report the story." Mr. Thompson also said that while he "[doesn't] normally wish unemployment on fellow journalists - even snooty and snarling PC ones from the Big Apple - but if the paper folded tomorrow I reckon I could contain my grief. Couldn’t you?" Comment: I think we could also contain ours.

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