Thanks be to God, we do have a Catholic press. I spend most of my time reading and, well, writing it. The value of Catholic journalism isn’t lost on me, especially when one of our beloved popes promulgates an encyclical. The secular media seem to do a word search and pick out only lines that reference same-sex “marriage” and abortion, ignoring the central aspects of encyclicals. Benedict XVI, for example, focused on faith, hope and love, but you’d never know it if you didn’t read his writing or Catholic media.
I’ve dipped my eyes a bit on the CNN website (I won’t hyperlink to the website because I don’t want to cooperate with it). The coverage is irresponsible at best. And last night, I checked out a piece on the New York Times website, and, frankly, couldn’t believe what I was reading.
“Good night, and thank you,” he said in Italian to the boisterous but small crowds at Castel Gandolfo, just over two weeks after he shocked the world on Feb. 11 by announcing his retirement, the first in the modern history of the church.
“Boisterous but small“?!?!?! That’s ridiculous. Ladies and gentleman, this, according to the New York Times, is a small crowd:
On what planet is that a small gathering?
Well, you get the picture. And I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. This has happened before and this will happen again. The Holy Catholic Church threatens the predominant worldview, so many will try to tear it down. But, of course, they will fail. As Christ said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
I encourage you to seek out Catholic journalism, especially through this papal transition. You’re not likely to find the truth anywhere else.
