Resources, Reports & Commentaries
Looking back: the 2010 media coverage of sex abuse in the Catholic Church
Nov. 19, 2010 - The media painted an ugly picture this past year of Pope Benedict and of sex abuse by Catholic priests. Now that the storm has died down, reporters, George Weigel, and other prominent Catholic leaders, gathered together to analyze the pros and cons of the coverage. [click here : read summary]
Background
Last updated Nov. 19, 2010 - The 2010 media coverage sex-abuse allegations in Europe by the New York Times and other secular publications understandably sparked both anger and confusion. Unfortunately, much of the coverage and commentary was flawed. Many writers, both Catholic and secular, examined these reports in their full context. A list of writers and links is provided below:
Writings by Category:
- The Pope speaks
- Prayer & Reflection
- What the Catholic Church has done to prevent child abuse
- Responding to media bias; the complete facts concerning sex abuse in the Catholic Church
The Pope speaks: (back to top)
Full text of pope's comments on the crisis
by John L Allen Jr of National Catholic Reporter
Sept. 16, 2010 - Day one of Benedict XVI's Sept. 16-19 trip to the United Kingdom has featured new comments from the pope on the sexual abuse crisis. Aboard the papal plane en route to Scotland, Benedict took five questions from reporters, including one on the crisis. [read full text]
Pope Benedict XVI asks, "Is the Church a place of hope?"
May 16, 2010 (Zenit News Agency) - The Pope insists that despite the "weeds" in the Church, there is still hope, because in it the Lord continually gives himself to us.
Pope publicly pledges to continue fighting sex abuse in Catholic Church
By Catholic News Agency, April 21, 2010
"God rejects no one. And the Church rejects no one."
Blogger Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia
April 18, 2010 - Palmo recounts Pope Benedict's tearful encounter with sex abuse victims in Malta. One of the eight survivors told reporters afterward that he had "made peace with the church" as a result of the session. Palmo also provides a moving excerpt from the Pope's homily earlier in the day.
Full Homily at http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=373164
"Tears in his eyes," Pope meets victims
Blogger Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia
April 18, 2010 - Palmo reprints the full text of Pope Benedict's encounter with the young people of Malta. The Holy Father offers an intimate reflection on the true love of Christ, and how to love amidst heavy persecution.
Full Homily at http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=373325
For this pope, all is grace, even "the world's attacks on our sins"
An unscheduled homily by Pope Benedict XVI, reprinted by Chiesa News
April 15, 2010 - Resisting the "dictatorship of conformism." But also "doing penance, recognizing our wrongs, opening ourselves to forgiveness, allowing ourselves to be transformed." Joseph Ratzinger's message to the Church, in an unexpected and unscheduled homily.
A letter to the Catholic Church in Ireland
by Pope Benedict, released March 20, 2010
Prayer and Reflection: (back to top)
Reflection: The Catholic Church, and those who love Her, are best understood in Christ crucified
By F.K. Bartels, managing editor of catholicpathways.com, contributing writer for Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
May 3, 2010 - The Man they nailed to the cross was - is - the Son of God. In their misunderstanding, they jeered at him. "If you are who you say you are," said they, "save yourself." The soldiers had in mind that the Messiah of God should act differently than he indeed willed to act; they could not understand why he would not use his power in a way that they imagined it ought be used. We see this same type of jeering and mocking continue on this very day in the way the Catholic Church, which Christ himself founded a short time before he hung on the cross, is persecuted.
Do not despair: Christ is present even in the darkness
By Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco, printed in America Magazine
May 3, 2010 - During the April 2010 meeting of the National Federation of Priests Council, Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco gave a stunning address on the state of the priesthood during the abuse crisis. He tells the dramatic stories of individual priests he has known who have led lives of great holiness. He asks the question, “Why would anyone want to become a priest?" This is an article that every priest in this country will profit from. And their parishioners, too.
The blessings that come from attacking the Church
By Chris Benguhe of Spero News
April 22, 2010 - The last decade has not been an easy one for the Catholic Church. How should we respond to the shocking revelations and the criticisms that follow?
Don't forget the flowers
Editorial by Bryan Cones, U.S. Catholic magazine
April 22, 2010 - Bad news about the church can be a good opportunity to remember why we’re here in the first place.
Bishop Lori: "The Holy Father that I know"
By Bishop William E. Lori, S.T.D. of Bridgeport
March 31, 2010 - Bishop Lori encourages his flock to remain rooted in prayer and reflection as they enter the holy days of the Easter Triduum. He also reflects on the present-day distractions battling for our attention in the media.
Archbishop Dolan offers remarks at 2010 Palm Sunday Mass
By Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, March 28, 2010
What the Catholic Church has done (from past to present) to prevent child abuse
(back to top)
Evidence of renewal
by Katherine Jean Lopez of National Review Online
April 19, 2010 - Lopez comments on penance, renewal and trust in the Catholic Church
Another long Lent
By George Weigel, First Things
April 12, 2010 - Weigel considers the Catholic Church's growth since 2002 in efforts to appropriately address abuse allegations, and where we go from here.
In defense of the pope
By Most Rev. James D. Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, First Things Journal
April 8, 2010 - Bishop Conley acknowledges the damage done by sexual abuse in the past and recounts direct, first-hand experiences alongside Pope Benedict to llustrate how he is "truly a man of God, a gift to the Church and a shepherd after the heart of the Good Shepherd." Click to read full text.
What Went Wrong
By George Weigel, Newsweek
April 3, 2010 - Don't blame celibacy. To fight the plague of sexual abuse, the church needs to become more Catholic, not less.
Archbishop Listecki comments on clergy abuse at Chrism Mass
By Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee
March 30, 2010 - Archbishop offers these pastoral remarks at the 2010 Chrism Mass. He joins Father Thomas Brundage in setting the record straight. He corrects misreported facts, recognizes the horrible effects of sexual abuse in our society today, and examines the measures taken by Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church.
Keeping the record straight on Benedict and the crisis
by John L Allen Jr of National Catholic Reporter
March 26, 2010 - Allen recognizes that many are calling into question Pope Benedict's Vatican years as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Allen concurs that asking questions about his involvement in the sexual abuse allegations is entirely legitimate. However, Allen reminds readers the importance of having complete perspective about the crisis. He notes three aspects of Benedict's record on the sexual abuse crisis that have been misconstrued, or at least sloppily characterized: He was not the point man at certain points in the timeline; reports have not given full context to his 2001 letter; and people need a better understanding of the "canonical trial."
Will Ratzinger's past trump Benedict's present?
by John L Allen Jr. of National Catholic Reporter
March 17, 2010 - An in-depth analysis and timeline of the various roles and responsibilities held by Pope Benedict, specifically in relation to the handling of sexual abuse allegations in the Church. Allen begins with Benedict's position as a bishop, then cardinal and finally, as pope.
Responding to media bias: (back to top)
To review a complete and ongoing list of news reports and commentaries about the Catholic Church's policies regarding sexual abuse, please visit www.churchstatelaw.com/abusescandal.asp.
How not to report the pope’s visit
by Mollie of GetReligion.org
Sept. 16, 2010 - GetReligion offers constructive criticism of an article about the Pope’s visit to Britain, written by Washington Post foreign service writer Anthony Faiola. [read more]
"Why being Pope means never having to say you're sorry: The trial of Pope Benedict XV"
Time Magazine (in partnership with CNN)
May 27 online/June 7 print, 2010 - In their June 7, 2010 print edition, Time magazine [in partnership with CNN] ran a front-page cover story on Pope Benedict XVI and the clergy abuse scandal. Read various critiques of the article below:
Vatican time warp
by George Weigel, published by National Review Online
June 4, 2010 - While Mr. Weigel insists that the article is both poorly sourced and lacking in "new" news, he does admit that the Time story may serve a useful purpose, in that it encapsulates, within ten pages, many of the things the world media continue to get wrong about the Catholic Church, the Vatican, and the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Being Catholic means not feeling sorry about being Catholic
Blog by Kathryn Jean Lopez, published by National Review Online, June 7, 2010
Why Time Magazine misses the point
by Gregory Erlandson, published by Zenit News Agency, June 8, 2010
Does Time need to say, ‘We’re sorry’?
Blog by Terry Mattingly of GetReligion.org
June 9, 2010 - Terry Mattingly does what he does best: offer a purely analytical critique of the journalistic standards - or lack thereof - illustrated by articles such as the June 7 Time story.
Nothing new under the Vatican sun
Blog by Mollie of GetReligion.org
Church of the 'Times': A dissent
By Kenneth Woodward, Commonweal Magazine
April 28, 2010 (May 7, 2010 print issue of Commonweal) - The New York Times's worldview is secularist and secularizing, and as such it rivals the Catholic worldview. But what makes the Times unique is that it is not just the nation's self-appointed newspaper of record. It is, to paraphrase Chesterton, an institution with the soul of a church.
Scandals place Catholic Church between ancient traditions, modern faith crisis
PBS Newshour
April 29, 2010 - As part of a weeklong series of reports from the Vatican, Margaret Warner reports on the impact of the child sex abuse scandals on the faithful in Rome and on Pope Benedict XVI and his advisers.
The Pontiff and the Press
By editorialist Ross Douthat, New York Times, April 21, 2010
An Open Letter to Hans Küng
by George Weigel, First Things Journal
April 21, 2010 - George Weigel responds to theologian Hans Küng, and to his open letter to the world's bishops wherein he criticizes the Catholic Church's response to sexual abuse. Weigel counters.
Benedict's strategy on crisis: 'Pastoral not Political'
By John Allen, National Catholic Reporter
April 18, 2010 - By meeting privately with sex abuse victims here, but avoiding any public apologies or defense of his record on handling sex abuse cases, Pope Benedict XVI seems to have confirmed his strategy for engaging the fallout from the crisis, one that might be summarized in a sound-bite: “Pastoral, not Political.”
Double standard? What double standard?
By Terry Mattingly, of GetReligion.org
April 14, 2010 - Terry Mattingly highlights a double standard insinuated by recent Denver Post coverage. On April 14, 2010, the Denver Post published an editorial about a law that some legislators believe will help limit the abuse of children and teens by requiring school officials to notify parents — within 24 hours — if a faculty member or school employee is arrested or charged in connection with “felony cases, misdemeanor crimes involving children and any unlawful sexual behavior.”
Church gets an unfair rap
By George Weigel, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 4, 2010
Fairness for the Pope:
Pontiff not at fault in Wisconsin pedophile priest case
Editorial by New York Daily News, March 31, 2010
Setting the record straight in the case of abusive Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy
by Father Thomas Brundage, J.C.L., who presided over the 1996 canonical trial pursued against Father Lawrence Murphy
March 29, 2010 - Fr. Brundage sets the record straight by correcting misreported facts, while also recognizing the horrible effects of sexual abuse in our society today. He also examines the measures taken by Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church in regards to the protection of children from sex-abuse.
Scoundrel Time(s)
By George Weigel, First Things Journal
March 29, 2010 - Weigel examines the New York Time's March 25, 2010 coverage in its full context.
Spreading the Big Lie
By George Weigel and Jay Scott Newman, National Review Online
March 29, 2010 - Why did the Washington Post choose Palm Sunday to publish an ignorant and malicious piece by Sinead O’Connor on abuse in the Catholic Church?
Letter to Editor of New York Times
By Father Raymond J. de Souza, chaplain at Queen's University in Ontario
March 27, 2010 - Fr. Raymond J. de Souza critiques the March 25, 2010 Times coverage in this editorial, published on National Review online. De Souza uses the same documentary evidence made available by the Times in conjunction with its original story, to correct their misleading coverage.
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