Thursday, June 14, 2012

LCWR: Unprofessionalism at USA Today; and, Sr. Chittisters Orwellian Double-Speak in CNN interview



Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB and Archbishop Peter Sartain



I keep saying this. When it comes to Catholic subjects, there are some in the media who would never let objectivity and facts get in the way of their bias reporting. How many of these people have read the 8 page doctrinal assessment that they keep recycling the same ridiculous distortions?

Here are some examples of bias.

First, you need to brief yourself (if you are interested in facts) on what Bishop Leonard Blair just released, in an effort to set the record straight after so many distortions of the truth made their way into news stories.  Bishop Blair was appointed to work with the CDF's delegate on the LCWR reform, Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle.  You can read the text, or you can watch him explain it on video.




Now, if you have read the 8 page doctrinal assessment (about 15 minutes); and, if you have watched Bishop Blair's response to distortions of fact (11:20) you are now prepared to see just how ridiculous these stories are.  In fact, you will be much more prepared than journalists who are being paid to learn facts for their stories and editorials.  It's called, doing homework.  Apparently, that is not in their job description these days.


First, there's the Cindy Lynn Grossman at the USA Today with this post.  I don't know quite what to think, other than it shows a great deal of immaturity and unprofessionalism.  If she went to journalism school, she should ask for a refund!  Look at the title of her post.

Bishop takes another swing at the sisters, nuns

Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo is a stickler for doctrine. He's one of three bishops named by the Vatican to take over running the umbrella group of U.S. nuns and sisters called the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, is tired of bishops being blamed for beating up on saintly sisters.
He's got good cause, says Blair, who issued a column and YouTube video blasting the LCWR again this weekend. It is Blair's research that prompted a stinging report of the LCWR as dissenters who fail to live holy lives and promote true doctrine.
Blair says he can "only marvel" at the misrepesentations of the bishops' intentions.

Bishop takes a swing?!?!?  Hopefully, you just watched Bishop Blair and can discern who is swinging at who here.

Moving right along, we have Christiane Amanpour of CNN interviewing Sr. Joan Chittister.  Setting aside Amanpour's errors (i.e., "there's no more Vatican II"), Chittister offers classic Orwellian doublespeak.  I had difficult time watching this in it's entirety.





Amanpour needs to do her homework a little better, and she should, in the interest of objectivity, request an interview with one of the bishops or a representative of there choosing. If she has an ounce of objectivity, she will give the same amount of time to the Church that she has given to a representative of the pseudo-magisterium.

Perhaps Amanpour would like to interview one of the Sisters of Mercy in Alma, Michigan who recently released a statement which takes issue with the LCWR's positions in the dust-up.  Those religious sisters seem not to have a problem reconciling Catholic teaching and the hierarchical structure of the Church (and no one can challenge their Christian service work since most work in the medical field, included among them, physicians).


UPDATE:  Elizabeth Scalia has some thoughts on the Amanpour/Chittister interview, as well. And Deacon Greg Kandra doesn't think so much about any "Orwellian double-speak" as he does about Amanpour's "pitiful questioning.  Joanne McPortland laments that Sr. Joan believes, "her own vigorous self-promotion as America’s Female Pope," and, "how much she has become the vicious caricature of the American woman religious her name evokes among traditionalists." (Now, I think she has become such a caricature for faithful Catholics, in general).

Watch for further updates as I find more analyses of these things.

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