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| Bishop Robert Finn |
I wrote recently about the National Catholic
Reporter in a post entitled “Catholic Newspapers – Beware The Trojan Horses?”
I made the point that the National Catholic Reporter newspaper had
become extremely anti-Catholic in its editorials and content and that there
were other newspapers that did so too, though maybe more subtlety at times.
I warned in my post that if our bishops do
not act decisively at the earliest signs of any ‘Catholic’ newspaper beginning
to challenge or oppose Church teaching, no matter how subtlety the dissent may
initially be, the problem could well escalate from needing minor corrective action,
to the point where the bishops are almost helpless to act because the newspaper ends
up having significantly more power and influence over its Catholic readers than
the bishops themselves do.
I see that Bishop Finn, in whose diocese the
National Catholic Reporter has its office, has now decided to begin a process
to get the newspaper to tow the line or remove ‘Catholic’ from its
title. Bishop Finn is the competent
ecclesiastical authority because the newspaper is based in his diocese. Bishop Finn has stated that this action was “important so that the faithful are not
‘misled’ by writings in disagreement with Church teaching.”
I pray that Bishop Finn will have the
courage to continue this matter through to its conclusion and that he will
receive the support from the many Catholics out there who know right from wrong
and who know that the National Catholic Reporter is poisonous to Catholics.
I also pray that other bishops will now follow
the example of Bishop Finn and take the need to monitor ‘Catholic’ publications
extremely seriously, especially when sold from the premises of our Catholic
churches.
