Bless the press?

February is Catholic Press Month, that annual opportunity to say something nice about this ministry in which we labor. Sometimes, like now, that’s not so easy.

Catholic media—particularly diocesan newspapers like The Catholic New World—are too often seen merely as mouthpieces of local bishops, purveyors of fluff, uncaring about “real” news and quick to turn a blind eye to critical events.

For instance, there’s the current scandal in Boston regarding clergy sexual misconduct with minors (See Page 5). Secular newspapers, we are chided, led the charge to expose that wrongdoing.

That can be a true, though somewhat incomplete, assessment. More about that in a moment.

Bottom line: There is, I think, a confusion about the role of Catholic media. There’s certainly room for both—secular and Catholic—as long as our roles are clear-cut. More than a few Catholics don’t understand that.

Perhaps that’s because the Catholic press competes in the same marketplace as the secular media, competes for readership, competes for advertising dollars, competes for attention. Not unlike, I hasten to add, what the larger church does. It’s a tough struggle in a world which places more and more value on personal pleasure than on a relationship with the Lord.

Because the Catholic press is the “voice of the church”—the “mouthpiece,” if you must—it opens itself to criticism when it says things everyday Catholics may not like. Consider: Despite his other troubles, this column gave grudging acknowledgement recently to Gov. Ryan for actions on issues embraced by the church—his moratorium on the death penalty and a challenge to the economic embargo of Cuba.

Calls and letters have not been favorable; a Cuban-American called the column “disgraceful,” and another man was so angry—at us and Ryan—that he fairly sputtered on the phone.

It is the role of the church—and by extension, its media—to raise issues in the public arena, to challenge wrongs and seek justice. That’s the church’s prophetic charge, and we see it in opposition to racism, violence and a host of other areas, as well as in its call to faith and connection with God. Where else will you get coverage of the Annual March for Life?

Prophets, if you recall, were always getting in trouble for what they said. And no prophet worth his (or her) salt had a choice about what they spoke. That came from their faith.

Why then does it seem to be only the secular press which exposes the plague of sexual misconduct by clergy against minors and other internal scandals?

The role of Catholic press is to raise important issues, but with a constructive sense rather than one which would tear down and destroy. But Catholic media have reported and reported well on the issue. Secular media, on the other hand, can sensationalize even routine personnel matters.

A little history: the Catholic Church in Chicago endured a series of clergy-misconduct cases several years ago. Those were appropriately reported on these pages and, in fact, Chicago now has a nationally-recognized protocol in place regarding sexual abuse and clerical misconduct, something that has gained but a single-paragraph mention in the secular media.

Nevertheless, The Catholic New World continues to report on the developing situation in Boston but hopefully with a sense of compassion and justice rather than sensationalism. To its credit, the Archdiocese of Boston’s newspaper, The Pilot, has carried articles about the ongoing situation.

Maybe the following comparison will help focus on why the Catholic press is deserving of acknowledgement this month.

Years ago, the Wall Street Journal, certainly among the world’s most secular newspapers, turned a criticism thrown at it from a Soviet leader into a catch-phrase: “Capitalist tool.”

If the worst that can be said about the Catholic press is that it’s a “tool of faith,” I’ll take it.

Tom Sheridan
Editor and General Manager