Whispers in the Loggia: January 2008
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Whispers in the Loggia: January 2008 http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html SEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOG Next Blog» Create Blog | Sign In WHISPERS IN THE LOGGIA THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2008 ABOUT ME The Media Is the Message ROCCO PALMO PHILADELPHIA, PA, VATICAN In his first major appearance last week as Rocco Palmo writes the Vatican point-man on from America for The Tablet, the international Catholic communication in the weekly published in London. He also church, Archbishop authors "Almost Holy," a fortnightly Claudio Maria Celli column for Busted Halo, an online warned against magazine on spirituality and culture "fundamentalism" on the run by the Paulist Fathers. Palmo's part of Catholic media: appeared as a commentator on things Catholic in The New York It is essential to be Times, Associated Press, The San aware, the prelate Francisco Chronicle, BBC, National added, that "our media Public Radio, The Washington Post is directed not just to and Religion News Service, among Catholics, but to all other print and broadcast outlets. A men. They are not Philadelphia native, Rocco Palmo media for Catholics, attended the University of but rather are the presence of a Catholic reality that is open to Pennsylvania, from which he earned man, all men." the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He offered the example of Catholic newspapers or radio. "It is VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE undeniable," Archbishop Celli said, "that they don't exist only for -- or are directed only to -- people who already belong to the Church, rather they should also give careful attention to PREVIOUS POSTS what exists in the soul of man, in his heart, where sometimes Midday Briefing there can be distance from God, or many times, a deep "Culto DiNoia" Comes to Pass nostalgia for God." A Decade On, "Father Basil" on Prayer Our media, he summarized, "should search, and help in the Loosing the Cincture search. Our media should not become, allow me to say it this On Welcoming the Stranger way, instruments of a religious or cultural fundamentalism." "Pange, lingua, gloriosi...." On "Being Eucharist!" Archbishop Celli contended that Catholic media should be at Live from Bourbon Street the service of the culture. Crescent City, Native Son: Aymond Home to NOLA He explained that media should know how to enter "in this Quote of the Day search that man embarks upon every day […] as instruments of this 'diaconia' of the culture […] instruments that teach what it means to dialogue, to be men who respect others' ARCHIVES positions, who know how to welcome, who know how to December 2004 understand." January 2005 "I emphasize it again," Archbishop Celli stated, "We are not February 2005 seeking a religious fundamentalism, because sometimes this March 2005 is the risk. And the Church itself is not that; it is not a 'tower April 2005 of marble'" that proudly stands "in its possession of the truth, May 2005 but rather a Church that knows how to welcome, understand, June 2005 dialogue, respect." July 2005 ...and in a recent column, Maryknoll Fr William Grimm, the editor of August 2005 the Japanese Catholic weekly Katorikku Shimbun, sounds a call for September 2005 1 of 206 6/17/2009 1:14 PM Whispers in the Loggia: January 2008 http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html "real journalism" in the church (tip to NewsHub): October 2005 November 2005 Some news sources such as the independent UCA News and December 2005 Catholic News Service (owned by the United States January 2006 Conference of Catholic Bishops but operating with editorial independence) hold to professional standards of timeliness, February 2006 attribution, accuracy, balance and verification. There are also March 2006 news "retailers" (newspapers, blogs, etc.) that hold April 2006 themselves to the same standards. May 2006 June 2006 However, there has been a proliferation of Catholic "news July 2006 sources" that do not follow those examples. Bias, distortion, August 2006 refusal to cover the "bad news," lack of balance, deference to September 2006 officials and failure to verify are common. October 2006 November 2006 Catholic media outlets with editorial freedom to accurately December 2006 present the face of the Church to its audience rather than being mouthpieces for "Church authorities" -- Religious January 2007 superiors, pastors, bishops, curial officials and popes -- are February 2007 few. One diocesan newspaper I saw had 11 pictures of the March 2007 bishop on its first nine pages. It was clearly not a paper that April 2007 intended to present the life of the Church in all its variety. May 2007 June 2007 The chief news that Catholic media must convey is the life of July 2007 the men and women who are the main body of the Church, August 2007 the laity. Their story is the story of the Church in the world September 2007 today, and is too seldom the focus of Church journalism.... October 2007 Why does it matter if the Church does not have a media voice November 2007 like that which should prevail in the secular world? December 2007 January 2008 One reason is that if the Church is incapable or unwilling to February 2008 report on its life and activities with transparency, others will March 2008 step in. However, leaving honest reporting of the Church to April 2008 outside media leaves us open to misunderstanding and even May 2008 sensationalism. It is hard to refute charges of "cover-up" June 2008 when, in fact, Catholic journalism either consciously or July 2008 inadvertently fails to present a full picture of the Church, August 2008 "warts and all." September 2008 We need a trustworthy professional Catholic journalism in October 2008 order to present the true face of the Church to the world and November 2008 each other. December 2008 January 2009 Being trustworthy means having a commitment to the truth February 2009 rather than to looking good. If Church media are seen as PR March 2009 rather than journalism, others will not believe us when we April 2009 actually have good news -- as well as the Good News -- to May 2009 convey, nor will they look to us for information and insight. June 2009 -30- POSTED BY ROCCO PALMO AT 21:51 Maciel Dead Donation button + reader support = Fr Marcial Maciel the only way these pages survive. Degollado, the controversial Thoughts for the author? E.mail founder of the Legionaries him: of Christ who was forced 2 of 206 6/17/2009 1:14 PM Whispers in the Loggia: January 2008 http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html from ministry by the theloggia(at)mac(dot)com Vatican under a cloud of sex-abuse allegations, died yesterday aged 87. In a statement released earlier today, the Legion announced the "departure of its dear Father Founder... to the heavenly homeland." In a letter to the communities of the Legionaries and its lay arm, Regnum Christi, Maciel's successor Fr Álvaro Corcuera said that he died at an unspecified location in the United States "with the peace that always filled his soul." (Wire reports subsequently indicated the place of death as a "group home" in Houston.) The community's formal notice said that Maciel passed away "in the bosom of the Catholic church." A favorite of the late Pope John Paul II, the Mexican-born cleric -- known to his faithful as "Padre Nuestro" -- founded the Legion in 1941, three years before his priestly ordination. In time, particularly under the backdoor patronage of the Polish pontiff, the community known for its strict organization and staunch conservatism spread to 40 countries, its membership growing to over 750 priests, 2,500 seminarians and 70,000 laity in Regnum Christi. Having approved the latter's governing statutes in the months before his 2005 death, the late Pope also gave the Legion its first high-profile bishop -- Brian Farrell, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Irish-born curialist had previously served in the influential post of English-language desk chief in the Vatican Secretariat of State. (Farrell's brother Kevin, currently bishop of Dallas, was likewise ordained for the community, but left it in the 1980s to incardinate into the archdiocese of Washington.) Two other Legion priests had been named bishops in Mexico, the first in 1974. Shortly before John Paul's death, the then-prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger pushed forward with a long-shelved investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Maciel -- an inquiry which, reportedly, found resistance in the papal apartment. While the abuse reported by several former Legionaries could have resulted in the founder's forced dismissal from the clerical state, the Holy See -- now with Ratzinger as Pope -- triangulated its response. Issuing its decision in May 2006, the arrangement allowed the once-omnipresent Maciel to remain a priest, albeit "invited" to "a reserved life of prayer and penance, renouncing all public ministry." The move might've spared him from a canonical trial in light of his age and health. Nonetheless, it remained a high-profile rebuke without precedent. Interpreted as a strong signal that Benedict XVI would "clean house" following global revelations of abuse and cover-up, the judgment made international news as Maciel -- who emphatically denied the 3 of 206 6/17/2009 1:14 PM Whispers in the Loggia: January 2008 http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html allegations -- became the most prominent cleric ousted on sex charges. While at the time, the Vatican was also careful to note that "irrespective of the person of the founder," the community's "distinguished" service was "acknowledged with gratitude," recent reports in foreign media indicate that Benedict has since nullified two private vows taken by Legionaries to maintain secrecy in the order and to refrain from criticism of a superior.