Days of Darkness

Hi Folks

As I was trying to fall asleep last night, I was reflecting on current 'events' in the Church.  Maybe not so current...and maybe not really events.  Depends on who you talk to, I think.

There is another newscast, this one from Rome (as if that lends it some sort of legitimacy.  No one from Vatican 'officialdom' had any part in the clip).  More on Benedict's involvement (so they say) in the abuse scandals.  "People" are demanding transparency from the Pope.

Sure.  They will likely get it.  As a matter of fact, if they read Church sources instead of what's in the media, the light might already be dawning.  Transparency will not help.  People will not believe what does not fit into their pre-conceived notions...at least not without some sort of revelation.

One need only look at the 'case' (so they say) surrounding Pius XII's supposed non-aid toward the Jews.  SO much of what was done by the Vatican is part of the public record, and has been for years, if one really wanted to find it.  Now, the Vatican has released a pile more of their documents surrounding the time of WWII.  I will be very surprised if this quiets the chattering classes.  I will be grateful...but surprised.  There really was enough evidence already available to show the good works of Pius XII.

Jesus had the same problem.  People asked Him for miracles to prove that he was the Messiah.  They'd had plenty.  Jesus recognized that more miracles would not change their minds.

The Pope is under attack.  No question.  He needs our prayers.  Even if you're not convinced of his lack of involvement in alleged scandal cover-ups, please pray that the Truth will be borne out...and that we'll all listen.

Approaching the Media Critically...VERY Critically

I am sharing with you this article which appeared on the Ignatius Scoop weblog.

It gives a good perspective on the current sexual scandals within the Church as well as being a lesson about critically reading (viewing, listening to) the mainstream media.

A long time ago, I developed a habit which has never steered me badly.  When I first hear something shocking in the news, particularly where it involves the Church, I completely ignore the first report.  It is rarely accurate.

Actually I cannot recall an instance where a first report about something to do with the Church has been accurate.

If what they are saying is not outright incorrect, it is only partially incorrect, or has weasel words incorporated to make the 'news' appear to say something quite different than the actual events.  Sometimes it is just that religious terminology is not understood, and no effort has been made to understand on the part of the reporter.  An example of this would be the references to "immaculate conception" that sometimes appears in media.  These references nearly always refer, usually with an implied sneer, to virgin births; like "That was no immaculate conception!".  In fact, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary...who was conceived in the usual human fashion...but the result of that conception was a being who was sinless from the very beginning of her existence.

So, here you are! Click on the Blog entry title to read the article.