HARRISBURG, Penn., April 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- On Holy Thursday when Catholicism celebrates the institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper, the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy publicly stands with Peter and defends the person and office of Pope Benedict XVI. A national association of priests and deacons committed to ongoing formation, the CCC declares total loyalty, support, confidence and fraternity with the Successor of Saint Peter, Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ. We condemn and repudiate the slanderous attacks on the Holy Father and we encourage all the faithful to join us and stand with Peter as did the early Church in the time of the Apostles. The secular press and media are supposed to REPORT the news and allow the public to DECIDE. Instead, we see conjecture, innuendo, false inferences, distorted facts, and many details taken out of context so as to promote an agenda of hatred and deceit for the Catholic religion. Ironically, the same media which demonstrates a hypersensitivity to not offending non Judaeo-Christian faiths (e.g., by not printing offensive cartoons of other religions), nevertheless, shows no restraint in making specious allegations against the spiritual leader of more than one BILLION Catholic Christians around the world.
Terrorists are afforded a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in the press and media yet when it comes to the Pope we rarely see the disclaimer "alleged" printed or spoken before a series of accusations are leveled against him. Abuse of children is a grave evil no matter who is the culprit, be they priest or parent, minister or rabbi, teacher or coach, sibling or neighbor.
However, the current demand for 'transparency' must be taken in context. Fifty years ago, the buzz word was 'discretion.' Families were discreet when a fellow family member was known or suspected to be a pedophile. Today, we learned the hard way that discretion was not the proper solution, yet, between the 50's and 70's, everyone kept a lid on child abuse, whether it occurred in the house, at school, in the gym, on a camping trip or in the rectory or parsonage. Police and school administrators kept silence as did bishops when they should have acted more vigorously. Society in general and not just Church leaders had to learn to no longer be quiet about child abuse. Furthermore, psychiatry and psychology were not the keepers of the cure for all mental illness. Bishops were not the only ones given false hope when sex offenders were released after 'successful treatment.' Today, everyone knows serial abusers are incurable. Half a century ago, modern medicine told us otherwise.
The yellow journalism and anti-Catholic propaganda seen in some attacks on Pope Benedict, from demands for his resignation to convening an 'inquisition' rival the same rhetoric once found in the former Soviet newspapers. All reputable reporters, journalists, and news people need to distance themselves from the tabloid tactics of some of their colleagues. We need responsible reporting that does not color the facts, merely reveals them. We need fair and balanced analysis given to every person and every religion.
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